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Will Wagner Will Wagner Out with strained oblique
Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 10:42 PM
Wagner is dealing with an oblique strain and hasn't done any baseball activity since the beginning of March, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Per Acee, Wagner will "almost certainly" start the season on the injured list. The infielder had been slated to battle for a reserve role during spring training, but he got into only five games before getting hurt, going 0-for-9 with two walks and two strikeouts. Even if Wagner was healthy, his likelihood of making the Opening Day roster had been considered slim. |
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Matt Waldron Matt Waldron Faces hitters Thursday
Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 10:34 PM
Waldron (lower body) threw "about 25 pitches" in a live batting-practice session Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: The session marked Waldron's first time throwing to live hitters since he underwent hemorrhoid surgery in late February. The knuckleballer said Thursday that he expects to throw a bullpen and then get into a Cactus League game in the next 5-to-6 days, but he also stated that he isn't going to be ready for Opening Day. That means Waldron will likely begin the campaign on the IL, though he could be ready to be activated around mid-April. |
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Bryan Hoeing Bryan Hoeing Undergoing season-ending surgery
Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 7:59 PM
Hoeing (elbow) will undergo flexor tendon surgery and miss the entire 2026 season, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Hoeing was shut down from throwing earlier this month and has now opted for season-ending surgery. The 29-year-old right-hander spent the bulk of his 2025 campaign with Triple-A El Paso but pitched in seven games out of the bullpen for the Padres, turning in a 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 5:3 K:BB across eight innings. |
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Jhony Brito Jhony Brito Tossing bullpens
Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 6:58 PM
Brito (forearm) has been throwing bullpens in Padres camp, per MLB.com.
Analysis: Brito is continuing to recover from the UCL internal brace surgery and flexor tendon repair he underwent in April of last year. He'll begin the campaign on the 60-day IL but could be able to return to game action around midseason. |
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Joe Musgrove Joe Musgrove Uncertain for Opening Day
Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 6:53 PM
Musgrove (elbow) has had his workload eased back after pitching against Team Great Britain on March 4, and it's uncertain if he'll be ramped up in time for Opening Day, per MLB.com.
Analysis: Musgrove's March 4 outing appeared to go well, as he sat at 94-95 mph with his fastball and threw 60 pitches. However, the team has since decided to slow-play the veteran hurler, who underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2024 and missed all of last season. "Yeah I think he's day-to-day right now. We knew this was how it was gonna be with him coming back from injury -- it wasn't just gonna be a straight shot all the way through," manager Craig Stammen said of Musgrove on Tuesday, per Valentina Martinez of SI.com. "So giving him the ample amount of rest to get him a little bit of a breather and then we'll get him back out there." On Musgrove's status for Opening Day, Stammen added, "We'll see. We'll evaluate him every single day and then make a decision after that." Should Musgrove have to miss time early in the season, German Marquez, Walker Buehler and Kyle Hart, among others, are candidates to fill his spot in the rotation. |
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Ramon Laureano Ramon Laureano Back in action Thursday
Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 4:13 PM
Laureano (fatigue) is starting in left field and batting second in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Royals.
Analysis: The veteran outfielder was scratched from the lineup Sunday due to general body fatigue, but he's good to go after getting a few days to rest. Laureano posted an .855 OPS with 24 homers and seven steals in 132 regular-season games between the Orioles and Padres last year, and he's poised to start in the corner outfield for San Diego in 2026. |
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Ty France Ty France Realistic chance to crack roster
Mon, Mar 9, 2026, 11:21 PM
France appears to have a path to make the Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Sung-Mun Song's oblique injury has seemingly opened up an opportunity for France, who has been seeing the ball well so far this spring. The 31-year-old is 10-for-27 (.370) at the dish with five RBI and two runs scored following Monday's exhibition against the Rangers. France is in consideration for a utility role of sorts, as he logged time at second base earlier in his career and could provide a solid bat off the bench, which as Cassavell notes, could be of interest to skipper Craig Stammen. However, this will all depend on whether Song is forced to begin the 2026 regular season on the injured list. |
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Sung-Mun Song Sung-Mun Song Could open season on IL
Mon, Mar 9, 2026, 11:05 PM
Song (oblique) has yet to resume swinging a bat and hasn't been cleared to participate in fielding drills, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: The Padres have made it clear that they intend to slow play Song's recovery in an effort to ensure the issue doesn't pop up again later this season. "We've got to play that injury really cautious," stated manager Craig Stammen. "Because he had it, came back, got it again. It's just one of those things -- we can't have that happen the whole year. We've got to nip it in the bud right now." Cassavell points out that Opening Day is only two weeks away, and the fact that Song has only received treatment since aggravating the oblique injury is cause for concern. |
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Bryan Hoeing Bryan Hoeing Considering surgery
Mon, Mar 9, 2026, 10:38 PM
Hoeing (elbow) expects to decide whether he'll undergo surgery "relatively quickly", Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Hoeing was shut down from throwing at the beginning of March after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow during a live bullpen session, and it's now being reported that surgery is on the table. The Padres expect the right-hander to make a decision in the near future, and he's also working to rehab the injury in the event he chooses to go a non-surgical route. |
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Yuki Matsui Yuki Matsui Resumes throwing off mound
Mon, Mar 9, 2026, 10:32 PM
Matsui (groin) was recently cleared to resume throwing off a mound, and he participated in defensive drills Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Matsui's availability for Opening Day remains a big question mark, but the fact that he's slowly beginning to ramp back up is a positive sign. He'll presumably need to complete at leasts a few additional side sessions before San Diego considers deploying him in a Cactus League game. |
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Jason Adam Jason Adam Nearing Cactus League action
Mon, Mar 9, 2026, 10:28 PM
Adam (quadriceps) will throw one additional simulated game within the next few days with the goal of pitching in an exhibition over the weekend, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Acee notes that Adam remains on his original timeline after undergoing left quadriceps tendon repair surgery in September. Assuming he's cleared to pitch in a Cactus League game at some point during the weekend, he would then have an opportunity to appear in three or four more games before the 2026 season gets underway. "I felt great," said Adam after taking part in fielding practice Sunday. "It's more the reactive. Like, anytime it's planned, they feel good about it. But the quick reaction, in-game reaction that you can't predict, that's where they're just being more cautious. But we're getting close." |
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Ramon Laureano Ramon Laureano Scratched with general fatigue
Sun, Mar 8, 2026, 3:18 PM
Laureano was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds due to general body fatigue, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: The veteran outfielder was penciled in to start in right field and bat sixth Sunday, but he'll instead receive some time off to get back to full strength. Assuming it's not a precursor to a larger issue, Laureano should be back in action within the next few days. |
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Sung-Mun Song Sung-Mun Song Aggravates oblique
Thu, Mar 5, 2026, 5:53 PM
Song was removed from Thursday's Cactus League game against the Mariners with right oblique tightness, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Manager Craig Stammen said after Thursday's contest that Song's removal was precautionary, as the Padres didn't want to risk further damage to the 29-year-old's oblique, which he originally injured in January. He may take a break from Cactus League action for a day or two, but his Opening Day availability doesn't seem to be at risk. |
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Walker Buehler Walker Buehler Says elbow is pain free
Thu, Mar 5, 2026, 4:13 PM
Buehler said Thursday that his right elbow stopped hurting about a month ago after trying various treatments, vitamins and supplements, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Buehler has had two Tommy John surgeries with the second coming in August of 2022. The right-hander's claim of being pain free comes as new teammate Joe Musgrove is returning from Tommy John surgery and is sharing some of the experiences Buehler had in the past. The 31-year-old Buehler had a 2.90 ERA across his first five seasons in MLB but has a 4.83 ERA across the past three years, and he's especially struggled the last two seasons since the surgery. |
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Joe Musgrove Joe Musgrove Shows good velocity in exhibition
Thu, Mar 5, 2026, 2:44 AM
Musgrove completed two innings in an exhibition game against Team Great Britain on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
Analysis: Musgrove's outing was his first game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2024. The veteran hurler had a rough beginning, giving up a run on three singles and a walk while retiring just one batter before being pulled, but a couple of the hits came on rough defensive plays and -- more importantly -- Musgrove sat at 94-95 mph on his fastball, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Under exhibition rules, the right-hander returned for the second frame and retired three of the four batters he faced and then set down two of three hitters in the third inning before exiting for good. Altogether, Musgrove threw a hearty 60 pitches (36 strikes), which is certainly promising for a pitcher coming off such a long absence. He's slated to be a key part of San Diego's rotation in 2026 and isn't expected to have strict workload limitations. |
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Griffin Canning Griffin Canning Could face hitters soon
Tue, Mar 3, 2026, 7:56 PM
Canning (Achilles) tossed a "high-intensity" bullpen session Tuesday, and his next step could be facing hitters, per MLB.com.
Analysis: Canning continues to progress in his recovery from a torn left Achilles, though he's yet to be cleared for fielding drills. The veteran hurler is going to begin the regular season on the injured list, with late April likely the earliest feasible date for his Padres debut. San Diego's rotation is unsettled beyond the top three slots, so Canning has a good chance of getting a chance to stake his claim to a starting role once he's healthy. |
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Jake Cronenworth Jake Cronenworth Batting leadoff Monday
Mon, Mar 2, 2026, 1:22 PM
Cronenworth will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Monday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.
Analysis: With the Padres set to move their primary leadoff hitter from 2025, Fernando Tatis, into the middle of the order during the upcoming season, first-year manager Craig Stammen is looking to settle on a new table setter before Opening Day. Xander Bogaerts has thus far been the Padres' most frequent leadoff man through the first 10 Cactus League games, but with Bogaerts away until at least March 12 while he plays in the World Baseball Classic, other players will get looks atop the San Diego lineup. Cronenworth will get his first look in the leadoff role Monday, though he's still expected to represent more of a fallback option to Bogaerts at that spot once the season gets underway. When the Padres have all their key position players available, Cronenworth is likely to slot somewhere in the bottom half of the lineup. |
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Matt Waldron Matt Waldron Throwing off mound this week
Mon, Mar 2, 2026, 1:16 PM
Waldron (lower body) is slated to throw off the mound this week, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Waldron underwent hemorrhoid surgery last week and is expected to begin the season on the injured list. The knuckleballer hopes to make at least one Cactus League appearance before camp breaks. Waldron is out of minor-league options, so once he's healthy he'll need to either go on the active roster or be exposed to waivers. |
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Xander Bogaerts Xander Bogaerts Favorite for leadoff gig
Mon, Mar 2, 2026, 1:14 PM
Bogaerts has made the most starts out of the leadoff spot through the Padres' first 10 Cactus League games and would appear to be the leading candidate to open the season atop the batting order, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Fernando Tatis (150) and Luis Arraez (11) made all but one start out of the leadoff spot for the Padres during the 2025 regular season, but San Diego will be breaking in a new table setter in 2026 with Arraez now in San Francisco and with first-year manager Craig Stammen planning to move Tatis down to the third or fourth spot. Bogaerts primarily slotted somewhere between fourth and sixth in the lineup last season, but as a high-contact hitter with good speed on the bases, he should make for a logical choice to lead off. However, with Bogaerts away from the team until at least March 12 while he participates in the World Baseball Classic, Stammen will experiment with other options atop the order during Cactus League play. Jake Cronenworth will bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Athletics and could represent the top fallback option to Bogaerts once the season gets underway. |
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Fernando Tatis Jr. Fernando Tatis Jr. Moving to middle of batting order
Mon, Mar 2, 2026, 1:12 PM
Tatis is expected to bat either third or fourth for the Padres this season, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Tatis spent the overwhelming majority of his time last year batting leadoff, but new manager Craig Stammen prefers to have the 27-year-old in the middle of the batting order. It will result in fewer plate appearances for Tatis but will boost his RBI opportunities. Xander Bogaerts is the favorite to move up to the leadoff spot for San Diego. |
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