Padres set 2024 roster ahead of home opener
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SAN DIEGO -- The Padres had the unusual task of setting their Opening Day roster twice.
They began the season on March 20 in the Seoul Series against the Dodgers and selected the 26 active players for those games. But planning a pitching staff for two games is not the same as planning for 160. So there were few tweaks for the 26-man roster announced before the home opener Thursday against the Giants.
Here's who made the Padres' 26-man roster:
Catcher (2): Luis Campusano, Kyle Higashioka
The 2024 season marks the first time that Campusano will enter a season as the No. 1 option behind the plate. The Padres found a serviceable, defense-first backup in Higashioka, so the specifics of their timeshare remain to be seen.
Ideally, Campusano is healthy and builds on his strong finish to the 2023 season, in which he posted a slash line of .331/.375/.500 after his second-half return from injury.
Infield (7): Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Ha-Seong Kim, Manny Machado, Graham Pauley, Eguy Rosario, Tyler Wade
The starters are Cronenworth at first, Bogaerts at second, Machado at third and Kim at short. Machado, however, is serving as the designated hitter as he ramps up after right elbow surgery. Wade started at third in Korea.
Pauley made his MLB debut in Korea and claimed a corner-infield/DH/bench role.
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Outfield (4): Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar, Jackson Merrill, Jos¨¦ Azocar
Merrill's emergence in Spring Training while adapting to a new position, center field, solved the Padres' greatest riddle; he's slotted for everyday duty. Azocar has proven to be a serviceable fourth or fifth option, and the addition of Profar buys the Padres some time in left field. They did not add a corner bat during the spring, as many expected them to do, so it's Profar's job for now.
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Rotation (5): Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Matt Waldron
Just as Merrill answered a major question in the lineup, the trade for Cease did the same for the rotation. He essentially steps into the big shoes of 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, who moved to the Giants as a free agent. Cease, like Snell, has exceptional swing-and-miss stuff, and he could prove to be more of an innings eater for the Padres. That bumps King, acquired from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade in December, to the No. 4 slot, giving the Padres reliable depth. Waldron won the No. 5 spot in a competition that included two others from the Soto trade, Jhony Brito and Randy V¨¢squez.
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Bullpen (8): Robert Suarez, Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta, Tom Cosgrove, Enyel De Los Santos, Jhony Brito, Pedro Avila, Stephen Kolek
Looking for a bounce-back season, Suarez begins 2024 as the de facto closer. Lefties Matsui, Peralta and Cosgrove give the Padres strength from that side, but the righty setup outlook is muddled after Steven Wilson was included in the package to land Cease.
Brito got high-leverage work in Korea, but performance will dictate how manager Mike Shildt employs his right-handers. Kolek stuck as a Rule 5 Draft pickup. V¨¢squez and righty Jeremiah Estrada were optioned to Triple-A on Monday. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the spring was that righty Woo-Suk Go was optioned to Triple-A without pitching against the Dodgers. Go pitched into November in the KBO postseason and had a delayed start to Spring Training before posting a 12.46 ERA in the Cactus League. Expect to see him in the Majors once he gets his baseball legs under him again.