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Jackson Merrill Jackson Merrill Belts 16th homer
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 11:21 PM
Merrill went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a stolen base and a walk in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants.
Analysis: Merrill took an elevated fastball from Landen Roupp and sent it over the fence in right-center field for a two-run homer to open the scoring in the second inning. The 23-year-old center fielder has flipped a switch at the plate, slashing .302/.333/.534 with eight homers, 21 RBI, 18 runs and five stolen bases over his past 30 games. Overall, he's hitting .237/.289/.398 with 16 homers, 52 RBI, 53 runs and 22 stolen bases across 109 contests. |
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Adrian Morejon Adrian Morejon Secures second save
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 9:02 PM
Morejon picked up the save in Sunday's 5-4 victory over the Giants. He struck out three over 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits or walks while hitting a batter.
Analysis: With Mason Miller unavailable, Morejon stepped into the closer role and recorded his second save of the season, tallying four outs to finish off the Giants. The 27-year-old hasn't allowed an earned run over his past seven outings spanning eight innings, allowing four hits while posting an 11:2 K:BB during this stretch. Through 60 innings (52 appearances) in 2026, Morejon owns an 8-2 record with a 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 70:15 K:BB and 17 holds as the Padres' top left-handed reliever. |
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Griffin Canning Griffin Canning Credited with third win
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 8:48 PM
Canning (3-9) earned the win Sunday against San Francisco. He allowed one run on two hits and no walks without recording a strikeout over two innings of relief.
Analysis: The right-hander was the third pitcher used by San Diego, and despite covering just two innings while surrendering a solo homer to Osleivis Basabe (forearm), Canning was credited with the win. He has struggled mightily this season in both starting and relief roles, posting a 6.58 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 67:32 K:BB across 67 innings (17 appearances). The 30-year-old's spot on the roster could come into jeopardy if the Padres make any moves to bolster their pitching staff before Monday's trade deadline. |
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Kyle Hart Kyle Hart Effective as opener Sunday
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 8:38 PM
Hart did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing a hit and no walks over three scoreless innings against the Giants. He struck out two.
Analysis: Tabbed as Sunday's opener after Michael King's start was pushed to Monday, Hart completed a season-high three scoreless innings. The lanky left-hander hasn't allowed a run over his past five outings spanning 9.2 innings, surrendering just five hits while posting a 10:2 K:BB during this stretch. Overall, Hart owns a 4.53 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 38:13 K:BB across 43.2 innings (29 appearances). |
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David Morgan David Morgan Resumes rehab assignment
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 8:12 PM
Morgan (knee) made a rehab appearance Sunday at Triple-A El Paso, allowing one hit and no walks over an inning of relief.
Analysis: Morgan kicked off a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League over the All-Star break, but he made just one appearance before being shut down due to soreness in his right trapezius muscle. The right-hander was able to move past the setback quickly and will likely need just a couple more appearances in the minors before he's deemed ready to rejoin the San Diego bullpen. Morgan submitted a 4.50 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 18 appearances for the Padres before landing on the shelf June 29 due to left knee inflammation. |
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Joe Musgrove Joe Musgrove Ready to kick off rehab assignment
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 7:49 PM
Musgrove (elbow) is slated to make a rehab appearance for Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday.
Analysis: After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2024 and then suffering a setback in the spring when he experienced inflammation in his right elbow, Musgrove finally appears to be closing in on making his first appearance for the Padres in just under two years. Along with Musgrove, Nick Pivetta (forearm) -- who has been on the shelf since April 14 -- is also scheduled to kick off his rehab assignment Tuesday with Lake Elsinore. Given the length of his absence, Musgrove is expected to need most of his 30-day rehab window to get fully stretched out for a spot in the San Diego rotation, so he may not be cleared to return from the 60-day injured list until late August or early September. |
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Nick Pivetta Nick Pivetta Ready for rehab assignment
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 7:33 PM
Pivetta (forearm) is slated to make a rehab appearance for Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday.
Analysis: Pivetta has been on the injured list April 14 due to a right forearm strain, but he's finally reached the last stage of his lengthy recovery process. He won't be the only rehabbing starter slated to pitch for Lake Elsinore on Tuesday, as Joe Musgrove (elbow) is also on track to either start or pitch in relief behind Pivetta. Given the length of his absence, Pivetta would normally require most of his 30-day window to get fully stretched out for a return to the San Diego rotation, but the Padres will give him the chance to streamline his rehab assignment. According to Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Pivetta is expected to be activated from the 60-day IL before Aug. 22, when his stay on the shelf would reach 130 days. Per the terms of the four-year contract Pivetta signed in February 2025, if he's deactivated for 130 consecutive days at any point this season or next, his $14 million player option for 2027 and $18 million player option for 2028 would turn into club options. |
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Griffin Canning Griffin Canning Likely to work in bulk relief
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 2:39 PM
Canning is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Kyle Hart in Sunday's game against the Giants, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis: Canning will be available to pitch on three days' rest after he struck out four over three shutout innings of relief in his previous appearance in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Rockies. Hart tossed 2.2 innings as an opener Wednesday, and while he could work a bit deeper into Sunday's outing, he's still unlikely to reach the five innings he would need to hit to qualify for a win. As a result, Canning -- who claimed his second victory of the season Wednesday -- looks like the Padres pitcher most likely to earn a win Sunday. |
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Kyle Hart Kyle Hart Set to start Sunday
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 1:14 PM
Hart will start Sunday's game against the Giants.
Analysis: Hart hasn't pitched since serving as an opener Wednesday versus Colorado, and he'll fill the role again for Sunday's series finale versus San Francisco. He covered a season-high 2.2 innings during that outing and has lasted as least two frames in 13 of his 28 appearances, so a similar workload seems likely this time around. Michael King's start was pushed to Monday after he was previously penciled in to pitch Sunday. |
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Fernando Tatis Jr. Fernando Tatis Jr. Receiving rare day off
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 12:19 PM
Tatis is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Analysis: Gavin Sheets will pick up the start in right field in place of Tatis, who appears to be receiving a planned day off. Tatis had started in every contest dating back to June 22 and posted a .280/.364/.483 slash line, six home runs, eight steals, 24 runs and 23 RBI over that 35-game stretch. |
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Michael King Michael King Start moved from Sunday to Monday
Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 12:08 PM
King is no longer scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Giants and will instead make his next turn through the rotation Monday in Arizona.
Analysis: San Diego will have Kyle Hart serve as their opening pitcher in a bullpen game during Sunday's series finale. The Padres didn't provide an explanation behind the late change, but the decision to scratch King adds fuel to the notion that he could be moved ahead of Monday's trade deadline. If King ends up staying put, he'll end up taking the hill later Monday following the deadline and would tentatively line up for a two-start week, with his second outing then coming next weekend at home versus the Astros. |
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J.P. France J.P. France Inks minors deal with San Diego
Sat, Aug 1, 2026, 6:15 PM
France signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: France has been with the Astros organization since 2018, but that relationship ended after he was released by Houston on Thursday. He'll join the Padres and will likely remain in Triple-A, where he has a 3.72 ERA and 1.69 WHIP across 36.1 innings. |
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Yuki Matsui Yuki Matsui Notches win in long relief Friday
Sat, Aug 1, 2026, 12:49 PM
Matsui (2-1) earned the win over San Francisco on Friday, allowing one hit and striking out two batters over three scoreless innings.
Analysis: San Diego deployed a bit of an unusual pitching progression, opening with reliever Bradgley Rodriguez for one inning before going to Matsui for three frames and finishing with veteran starter German Marquez for the final five . All three hurlers pitched well, and Matsui got the victory with three scoreless frames that included just one hit. The left-hander completed three innings for the first time as a major-leaguer, throwing 49 pitches (32 strikes). Matsui isn't seeing a ton of high-leverage work, but he's having his best big-league season to date, posting a 2.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 45:24 K:BB while collecting six holds through 31 appearances spanning 41.2 innings. |
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Jose Leclerc Jose Leclerc Returns from shoulder surgery
Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 8:37 AM
Leclerc (shoulder) struck out a batter and allowed two earned runs on three hits and no walks in an inning of relief Wednesday for Double-A San Antonio after being assigned to the affiliate when he was activated from Triple-A El Paso's 60-day injured list.
Analysis: Leclerc had spent all season on El Paso's IL while completing his recovery from right shoulder surgery, which he underwent last July. The veteran reliever was cleared to begin a rehab assignment July 3 and was sent to San Antonio after he turned in a 2.16 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 11:1 K:BB in 8.1 innings over eight appearances between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and High-A Fort Wayne. Leclerc should eventually move into a bullpen role at Triple-A once he knocks off some more rust at San Antonio. |
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Randy Vasquez Randy Vasquez Works in long relief Thursday
Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 8:33 AM
Vasquez covered 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Giants, striking out a batter while allowing three hits and one walk.
Analysis: Vasquez got the start in his previous appearance but worked in tandem with JP Sears, pitching the first 2.2 innings before the lefty came on to cover the next 3.1 frames. The two essentially swapped roles Thursday, with Sears starting and yielding three earned runs over 3.2 innings before Vasquez entered in the top of the fifth to mop up. Sears and Vasquez may end up piggybacking again the next time through the rotation Tuesday in Arizona, though the makeup of the San Diego pitching staff could have changed by Monday's trade deadline. |
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German Marquez German Marquez Likely to pitch in bulk relief
Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 8:25 AM
Marquez is likely to work multiple innings in relief behind opener Bradgley Rodriguez in Friday's game against the Giants, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.
Analysis: Rodriguez has covered exactly one inning in each of his previous three starts this season, so he'll likely be in line to work the opening frame again Friday before the Padres turn the game over to the bullpen. Marquez will be available on six days' rest and should be capable of providing some length after starting each of his last four appearances. He went 1-0 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB in 14.1 innings during that stretch. |
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Bradgley Rodriguez Bradgley Rodriguez Working as opener Friday
Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 8:15 AM
Rodriguez will serve as the opener for Friday's game against the Giants, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.
Analysis: Rodriguez will draw his fourth start of the season, but he's been limited to one inning in each of those appearances and will presumably be in line for a similar workload Friday. German Marquez is likely to pitch multiple innings in relief once Rodriguez exits the game, per Levitt. |
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Gavin Sheets Gavin Sheets Resting vs lefty
Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 4:20 PM
Sears is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Giants.
Analysis: The Giants are sending southpaw Robbie Ray to the mound Thursday, so the left-handed-hitting Sheets will take a seat. Jase Bowen has the start in left field and is batting ninth. |
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Mason Miller Mason Miller Cruises to 28th save
Wed, Jul 29, 2026, 10:04 PM
Miller earned the save in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Rockies, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Analysis: Miller has now turned in 10 straight scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out 19 in that span. The star closer is a perfect 28-for-28 in save chances this season while posting a minuscule 0.79 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 85:15 K:BB across 45.2 innings. |
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Griffin Canning Griffin Canning Picks up second win
Wed, Jul 29, 2026, 9:56 PM
Canning (2-9) earned the win Wednesday over the Rockies, allowing one hit and no walks across three scoreless innings. He struck out four.
Analysis: Working in a bulk role again, Canning looked much better Wednesday, holding Colorado to a lone single en route to his second win of the season, his first since June 17. It was an impressive bounce-back showing from the right-hander, who had given up nine runs (eight earned) across just 6.1 innings in his previous two appearances. Canning's ERA now sits at 6.65 on the season with a 1.57 WHIP and 67:32 K:BB across 65 innings. |
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