According to the report, the 27-year-old rookie will “likely” be added to the postseason roster

What difference can two thefts make?

If you're Brandon Lockridge, a lot.

The San Diego Padres acquired the 27-year-old rookie from Triple-A El Paso to make his big league debut on September 13th. Known as a defensive and baserunning specialist, the outfielder appeared in nine games but only made five plate appearances.

Lockridge has played in a game as a pinch runner five times – including a crucial game on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

When Lockridge stole second base against the Dodgers, it was his second steal in as many attempts since his debut. Now, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Lockridge has “likely cemented his spot on the postseason roster as a backup and backup defensive end.”

It's been a long time coming for Lockridge, who appeared in 526 minor league games from 2018 to 2024.

His rise came at the expense of Luis Campusano, who had started more games at catcher than any other Padres backstop this season.

The Pensacola, Florida, native has a career .271 batting average in the minor leagues and hit a .325 batting average this season with San Diego's Triple-A secondary, the El Paso Chihuahuas. Johnson had 18 of 21 stolen base opportunities in El Paso this year.

The Padres acquired Lockridge from the New York Yankees on July 30 in exchange for reliever Enyel De Los Santos. The Yankees have since designated De Los Santos for assignment.

Lockridge had already stolen 34 bases in 38 attempts at Triple-A at the time of the trade after stealing 30 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a year ago.

The Padres lost some momentum when Ha-Seong Kim was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury. Kim hasn't returned yet, and the team can hardly rely on him having a role in October if he doesn't make rapid progress.

The Padres have four games left in the regular season, starting with Thursday's return game at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers can eliminate the Padres from the National League West title game with a win. A Padres win would close the gap between the two teams to two games and set the stage for a win-out-or-go-home scenario when they win three straight games against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday to close out the season Phoenix deny.

Look for Lockridge to do more with another big game on the basepaths to secure his spot in the Padres' postseason plans.