David Scott Morgan Bio
David Scott Morgan (born October 26, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. He made his MLB debut in 2025 and has spent time between the Padres and their minor league affiliates while establishing himself as a contributing arm at the big league level.
Early Life and Background
David Scott Morgan attended Mission Viejo High School where he developed as a pitcher before continuing his baseball and academic career at Orange Coast College and later Hope International University. His progression from high school to junior college and then to a four-year program reflects a steady development path through varied levels of amateur baseball competition.
Morgan’s formative years featured the standard climb for many professional pitchers: local and collegiate competition that provided innings, exposure, and opportunities to refine his pitch mix and command. Those stops provided the foundation that led to his entry into professional baseball in 2022 with the San Diego Padres organization.
Path to Baseball
Morgan entered professional baseball in 2022 when he joined the San Diego Padres organization. He began his pro career in the Arizona Complex League and moved through the Padres’ lower-level affiliates as the club evaluated his readiness for higher levels of competition.
Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons Morgan logged innings across multiple affiliates, showing enough consistency to be assigned to higher levels and to remain on the organization’s development track. The sequence of assignments and promotions within the Padres farm system set the stage for his major league opportunity in 2025.
David Scott Morgan Career
Early Career (2023–2024)
Morgan made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Padres, registering a 3.00 ERA and recording four strikeouts in three appearances. In 2023 he split time between Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm and High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, combining for a 4–3 record and a 3.83 ERA with 46 strikeouts across 28 games.
In 2024 Morgan returned to Fort Wayne and advanced to the Double-A San Antonio Missions during the season. Across those assignments he logged 40 appearances and produced 63 strikeouts, finishing the year with a 5.04 ERA. Those innings at Double-A represented a key step in his professional progression and provided him the experience that preceded his major league promotion.
Major League Breakthrough (2025–Present)
Morgan began the 2025 season at Double-A San Antonio, posting a 3.12 ERA with 19 strikeouts in seven appearances to start the year. On April 27, 2025, the San Diego Padres selected Morgan to their 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time, marking his first elevation to the big league club.
Shortly after that promotion Morgan was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on May 4 without making an appearance, a roster move that resulted in him briefly becoming a phantom ballplayer. He was recalled on May 25 and made his major league debut the next day on May 26, 2025, against the Miami Marlins. Morgan continued to work out of the Padres’ pitching staff through the season into 2026.
San Diego Padres Era (2025–Present)
With the San Diego Padres, Morgan has appeared both as a reliever and in spot starts. On July 6, 2025, he made his first major league start against the Texas Rangers, pitching 1 1/3 innings and allowing one earned run in a no-decision. A week later, on July 12, he earned his first major league win with a scoreless inning of relief versus the Philadelphia Phillies.
Through June 24, 2026, Morgan’s MLB stat line included a 3–2 win–loss record, a 3.16 earned run average, and 74 strikeouts. Those figures reflect his early contributions to the major league staff and signal his role as a usable option out of the bullpen and in short starting turns when needed.
Driving Style and Strengths
Morgan has shown an ability to generate strikeouts and to work effectively in short stints, as reflected by his strikeout totals through June 24, 2026. His performance across minor league levels and his initial major league appearances indicate a pitcher who can handle swing-and-miss tendencies and be deployed in multi-inning relief or occasional starts as roster needs dictate.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones in Morgan’s professional timeline include his promotion to the Padres’ 40-man roster on April 27, 2025, his status as a phantom ballplayer after being optioned on May 4, 2025, his major league debut on May 26, 2025, his first major league start on July 6, 2025, and his first major league victory on July 12, 2025. Collectively these events chart his rapid rise from the organization’s lower minors to contributing at the big league level.
David Scott Morgan Career Wins
Morgan’s verified major league record through June 24, 2026, stands at three wins against two losses, with a 3.16 ERA and 74 strikeouts. Those totals cover his appearances for the San Diego Padres from his 2025 debut into the 2026 season and represent his documented results at the highest level of play.
MLB Highlights
Among Morgan’s MLB highlights are his debut on May 26, 2025, and his first win on July 12, 2025, when he delivered a scoreless inning in relief against the Philadelphia Phillies. His first start on July 6, 2025, versus the Texas Rangers provided an early test in a starting role and demonstrated the club’s willingness to use him in multiple capacities.
The accumulation of 74 strikeouts through June 24, 2026, and a sub-3.20 ERA in that span serve as concrete indicators of his early effectiveness at the major league level. Those verified numbers capture his tangible contributions while still early in his big league tenure.
Other Wins & Perfromances
In the minors, Morgan’s 2023 split between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne resulted in a 4–3 record and a 3.83 ERA with 46 strikeouts across 28 appearances. In 2024 he advanced to the Double-A San Antonio Missions and totaled 63 strikeouts in 40 games while compiling a 5.04 ERA for the season. These minor league performances built the foundation for his promotion to the major leagues in 2025.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season served as Morgan’s breakout year into the major leagues. He began the year at Double-A San Antonio and, after being added to the Padres’ 40-man roster on April 27, 2025, experienced a rapid series of roster moves that culminated in his MLB debut on May 26. The calendar of promotions, options, and recalls over the summer illustrated how the Padres integrated him into the big league staff while managing roster flexibility.
During 2025 Morgan worked as both a reliever and a spot starter, making his first big league start on July 6 and recording his first major league win on July 12. The season provided Morgan with early major league innings, valuable experience against top-tier hitters, and a baseline of performance that the club could build upon heading into 2026 and beyond.