Former West Virginia pitcher Ryan Bergert was recalled to the San Diego Padres from Triple-A El Paso, the Padres announced on Friday.
Bergert, a right-hander, had been scheduled to start El Paso’s game against Sacramento on Friday. But the Padres instead elevated him to their bullpen, sending Kyle Hart down to the minors. Bergert has not pitched in the majors to date, although he was already on the Padres’ 40-man roster.
This was done in November to keep the team from exposing Bergert to other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft. As Bergert has been in the Padres’ system since 2021, San Diego had to either place him on its active roster or risk losing him to another club. Bergert was the Padres’ sixth-round choice in 2021 and had been the No. 1 starter in El Paso. That move came with an invite to spring training, although Bergert was quickly optioned to the minors.
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Prior to the move, Ryan Bergert had mostly pitched well for the Chihuahuas. His ERA of 5.16 was deceptive for two reasons: he’d had one rough start against Las Vegas that saw him allow six runs and he had mostly pitched at elevation. Not only does El Paso sit just under 3,900 feet above sea level, but Bergert made two starts in Albuquerque. New Mexico’s largest city has an elevation of 5,312, creating conditions more like notorious hitter haven Coors Field in Denver.
Bergert allowed 13 earned runs and struck out 24 batters in 22.2 innings of work. Five of his earned runs came via home run. In three of his five starts, he had pitched well enough to hold the opponent to a single run.
Where Does Ryan Bergert Project In the Majors?
Although Bergert had pitched as a starter in El Paso, his endurance projects him more as a long or middle reliever. In El Paso, the Chihuahuas didn’t ask him to pitch past the minimum to be eligible for the win. He only went longer than four innings twice, and each time, he left after the fifth. In 2025, Bergert has pitched to contact a little more than one might expect, although he averaged better than a strikeout per inning.
That tracks well with the form he showed in a Mountaineer uniform, as he fanned 68 hitters in 58.2 innings of work in Morgantown. Bergert only completed two seasons at West Virginia, as he saw one season cut short by COVID and another by his recovery from Tommy John surgery. After getting his UCL replaced, Bergert chose to enter the 2021 MLB draft. To date, his best season came in 2023. That year, he divided his time between Single-A Fort Wayne and Double- A San Antonio.
He posted a combined ERA of 2.73 that year. That was more than a run better than any other of his pro seasons. When Bergert takes the mound for San Diego, he’ll become the 30th WVU alum to play in the major leagues. Bergert is one of two Mountaineer alums currently in the majors, joining Victor Scott II of the St. Louis Cardinals.
