​San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin has taken a beating this season.Having not been a front-line catcher in his career, Fermin has done the bulk of the receiving this season for the Padres. The stated preference, by manager Craig Stammen before the season began, was for Fermin to share catching duties with Luis Campusano. Still, that plan had to be shelved when Campusano was placed on the injured list with a broken toe on May 7.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThen, on June 14, Fermin himself ended up on the injured list after sustaining a concussion when one of the hard hits he took to his mask from a foul tip forced him out of the game. This was not an unusual occurrence as Fermin had absorbed multiple foul tips off all parts of his body while behind the plate. The hits off his mask had occurred regularly, but the trip to the IL was dictated by the MLB concussion protocol.Catcher Blake Hunt, signed by the Padres in the offseason as minor league depth, was also hurt to start the season and had only been playing for El Paso for a few games before being called up when Fermin went on the IL.After eight days under the concussion protocol, Fermin was activated on June 23 and returned to the lineup as the primary catcher.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe problem was that he continued to absorb hard hits from foul balls and was given a break when Campusano returned from the injured list.On July 3, Fermin landed back on the injured list after taking another direct hit to his face mask. Although not listed under the concussion protocol, he had a head contusion as his qualifying injury.On July 8, the Padres sent Fermin to the El Paso Chihuahuas for a rehab assignment. He started that night for El Paso as their designated hitter. He also started on July 9 in the same capacity. Over those two games, Fermin had two hits and two RBI with a walk in his eight at-bats. He then rested on July 10, and the game was rained out the next day.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFermin was the DH again on July 12 and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. July 13 is a designated off day for all Padres minor league affiliates above the rookie leagues, and another day of rest for Fermin.With Campusano back to full strength, he has appeared in almost every game since July 4, as either the starter or a pinch hitter. For July, Campusano is hitting .333/.478/.500 with five walks and five strikeouts in his 18 at-bats.Backup catcher Rodolfo Durán has had 18 at-bats in that same stretch but is hitting .167/.167/.167 with just three hits. Durán has good defensive skills and a gun for an arm but lacks the offense that Campusano can provide.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith the All-Star break over the next four days, it seems reasonable that the Padres will slow-play the return of Fermin. Give him the time to work on his offensive game in Triple-A and get a break from being beaten up behind the plate.Campusano should get the bulk of the opportunities to