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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Swats second spring homer
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Merrill went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two total runs and two total RBI in a Cactus League win over Seattle on Thursday.
Merrill's third-inning, two-run blast was one of eight long balls hit by San Diego during the 27-6 thrashing of the Mariners. It's been a strong spring so far for Merrill, who is slashing .333/.400/.778 with two homers and four RBI through eight games. He's locked in as the Padres' everyday center fielder and will look to rebound from a somewhat disappointing sophomore campaign, which saw him post a .774 regular-season OPS (down from his rookie .826 mark) while missing nearly 50 games due to injuries.
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Padres' Miguel Mendez: Sent to Double-A
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Mendez was optioned to Double-A San Antonio on Thursday.
Mendez made two appearances with the Padres during spring training, giving up six runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three batters over two innings. The right-handed pitcher is one of San Diego's top prospects, but he'll need some time in the minor leagues to refine his craft before potentially getting a shot with the big-league squad.
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Padres' Sung-Mun Song: Aggravates oblique
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Song was removed from Thursday's Cactus League game against the Mariners with right oblique tightness, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
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. Song may take a break from Cactus League action for a couple days, but his Opening Day availability doesn't currently seem to be at risk.
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Padres' Walker Buehler: Says elbow is pain free
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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.
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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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Shows good velocity in exhibition
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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.
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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Padres' Griffin Canning: Could face hitters soon
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Canning (Achilles) tossed a "high-intensity" bullpen session Tuesday, and his next step could be facing hitters, per MLB.com.
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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Padres' Jake Cronenworth: Batting leadoff Monday
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Cronenworth will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Monday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.
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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Padres' Matt Waldron: Throwing off mound this week
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Waldron (lower body) is slated to throw off the mound this week, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
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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Padres' Xander Bogaerts: Favorite for leadoff gig
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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.
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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Padres' Fernando Tatis: Moving to middle of batting order
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Tatis is expected to bat either third or fourth for the Padres this season, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
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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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Starting exhibition game Wednesday
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Musgrove (elbow) will start Wednesday's exhibition game against Team Great Britain, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Musgrove will be making his first appearance in a game setting since his October 2024 Tommy John surgery. The veteran right-hander has been throwing off the mound throughout Padres camp, most recently tossing three innings in a simulated game last week. Musgrove was sidelined for the entirety of the 2025 campaign, but he will not have strict workload limitations in 2026.
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Padres' Alex Verdugo: Links up with San Diego
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Verdugo agreed to a minor-league contract with the Padres on Sunday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The veteran outfielder signed with Atlanta for the 2025 campaign and had a .585 OPS in 56 games before being designated for assignment in early July. Verdugo will report to minor-league camp for the Padres, and it's difficult to envision a realistic path to him making the Opening Day roster.
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Padres' Blake Hunt: Shut down with oblique injury
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Hunt is dealing with an oblique injury and has been shut down from activity, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Hunt signed a minor-league pact with San Diego in December and has been taking part in big-league camp, though he hasn't seen action in any spring games. The 28-year-old isn't on the team's 40-man roster and wasn't expected to be a serious contender for an Opening Day job even prior to suffering the injury. San Diego added fellow catcher Brendan Durfee to major-league camp to take Hunt's place.
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Padres' Bryan Hoeing: Dealing with elbow discomfort
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Hoeing has been shut down after feeling discomfort in his elbow during a recent live bullpen session, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla didn't give a timeline for how long Hoeing will remain shut down, but he said Sunday, "We don't think it's as serious (as it could be), but we have to be conscious and take a look at it and be able to make the right assessments." With Opening Day less than four weeks away, Hoeing's availability for the start of the season is in question, as is that of Yuki Matsui's (groin), which could test San Diego's bullpen depth early. Hoeing hadn't yet appeared in a spring game prior to getting hurt.
Padres' Nick Pivetta: Has rocky first spring start
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Pivetta completed two innings in a Cactus League game against the Reds on Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one batter.
Pivetta gave up a triple in the first inning but held Cincinnati scoreless. However, he was touched up for three runs in the second frame as a result of issuing two walks and giving up two hits. Pivetta threw just 22 of 38 pitches for strikes, but a rough outing near the start of spring for a veteran pitcher shouldn't cause fantasy managers to be concerned. The right-hander is coming off arguably his best MLB campaign and is locked in near the top of San Diego's rotation for 2026.
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Padres' Manny Machado: Enjoys big game in Cactus League
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Machado went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs, a walk and six RBI in Thursday's Cactus League loss to Cincinnati.
Machado went 0-for-5 over his first three spring contests but exploded with a two-run home run and a grand slam Thursday. The veteran third baseman is approaching his eighth season with San Diego and has hit between 27 and 32 homers in each of the past five regular seasons. Machado remains one of fantasy's top third basemen and has typically been one of the first five players selected at the position in drafts this year.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Sharp in simulated game
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Musgrove (elbow) touched 95 mph with his fastball in a three-inning simulated game Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Musgrove threw 36 pitches in the outing and was pleased with how things went, saying afterward that, "I'm coming out of this feeling the best I have felt." The veteran righty said that things are "kind of all day-to-day" with his rehab based on how he feels, but he expects to make his first Cactus League start next week. Musgrove missed all of the 2025 season but will not have a strict workload limit in 2026, with Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla saying their approach with the 33-year-old is, "full-go but watch him."
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Padres' Michael King: Impressive in first spring outing
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King allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out four batters over 2.2 innings in a Cactus League start versus the Angels on Wednesday.
King dealt with multiple injuries last year and made only 15 regular-season starts, but he appears healthy this spring. The right-hander breezed through the first two innings of his Cactus League debut Wednesday, retiring the first six batters he faced before serving up a Christian Moore solo homer in the third. Overall, King was sharp, throwing 26 of his 37 pitches for strikes and inducing seven whiffs. If King can stay healthy, he'll slot in near the top of San Diego's rotation in 2026.
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Padres' Yuki Matsui: Uncertain for Opening Day
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Matsui (groin) is limited to flat-ground throwing and is questionable for Opening Day, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Matsui has been limited after tweaking his left groin last week. The reliever has already had to pull out of pitching for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic and might not be ready for Opening Day, either. Matsui holds a 3.86 ERA and 130:60 K:BB over 126 regular-season innings in his two years with the Padres.
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