MESA, Ariz. — The San Diego Padres will head into Opening Day amid significant questions about their rotation depth. Manager Mike Shildt confirmed Friday that Yu Darvish will miss the start of the season because of the elbow inflammation that has largely halted the right-hander’s throwing since he pitched in a Cactus League game last week. With Darvish poised to join fellow starters Matt Waldron (oblique strain) and Joe Musgrove (Tommy John surgery rehab) on the injured list, Shildt sought to downplay the severity of what was largely expected news.
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“I don’t know what the time frame will be. It’s too early to tell,” Shildt said. “The best-laid plans … don’t always go in a perfectly straight line. Yu’s had a little bit of a setback, and we’ll evaluate as it goes.
“We feel pretty comfortable that some rest and getting ramped back up will be the answer at the moment.”
The Padres also have other questions to address. Less than a week before the season opener, 38 healthy players remain in camp. San Diego, with Darvish’s injury, has decisions to make regarding the final two spots in the rotation, one or two spots in the bullpen, and the entire bench.
“This is the most competitive position player camp I’ve ever had at the end of a camp,” Shildt said. “Usually, it comes down to, like, picking your 26th guy between a guy or two or three. And now we’ve got legitimately 10 guys for four or five spots.”
Here’s the latest on the state of the Padres’ yet-to-be-finalized roster.
Starting pitchers (10)
Locked into spots: Michael King, Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta
Also on the 40-man roster: Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek, Randy Vásquez
Also in camp: Wes Benjamin
Injured: Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Matt Waldron
The Padres entered this spring intending to err on the side of caution with Darvish. Now, the 38-year-old’s injury is cause for concern, if not yet alarm. Darvish has dealt with elbow inflammation in each of the past few seasons. Pivetta’s arrival could make up for Musgrove’s absence, but the Padres might be challenged to replace Darvish if he misses extended time.
With the five-time All-Star down, the final two spots in the Opening Day rotation will go to some combination of Hart, Kolek and Vásquez. Hart, whose only major-league experience came in 2020, is trying to prove he is a much-improved pitcher after he starred last season in the Korea Baseball Organization. Kolek has started in the minors but never in the majors. Vásquez posted a 4.87 ERA in 20 starts for the 2024 Padres; his “expected ERA,” according to Statcast, was 5.94.
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Shildt indicated that one of these three pitchers will begin the season in Triple-A El Paso’s rotation. The Padres aren’t swimming in upper-level starting depth, and they need someone to stay stretched out in the event of another injury.
Relief pitchers (13)
Locked into spots: Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta
Also on the 40-man roster: Logan Gillaspie, Alek Jacob, Ron Marinaccio, Juan Nuñez
Injured: Jhony Brito, Bryan Hoeing, Sean Reynolds
If the Padres aren’t going to carry Hart, Kolek or Vásquez as a long reliever, they’ll need someone who can provide some multi-inning ability. San Diego will open the season with seven games in seven days, and some members of the rotation — Hart, in particular — might not be fully built up.
Jacob, who’s had a strong camp, got 11 outs in a game last August. The more-experienced Marinaccio has worked two innings at a time throughout his career. The Padres took Nuñez, a low-minors starter, in the Rule 5 draft because they liked his arm; they still do, and injuries to others might make it easier to justify rolling the dice on the 24-year-old. Gillaspie, who’s out of minor-league options, went three innings in his most recent Cactus League appearance.
Brito would be an obvious long-relief candidate in most instances, but he currently isn’t an option. The right-hander’s 2024 season was ended by an elbow strain, and Brito experienced more discomfort during a Cactus League outing early this month.
Catchers (4)
Locked into a spot: Elias Díaz
Also on the 40-man roster: Luis Campusano, Brett Sullivan
Also in camp: Martín Maldonado
Among the catchers in camp, only Campusano and Sullivan have produced an extra-base hit this spring. The Padres, of course, are prioritizing defense at the position. That explains why Maldonado, who was born on the same day as Darvish, remains in the mix. In a small sample last season with the Chicago White Sox, Maldonado did not grade well in terms of pitch-framing and blocking, but he continues to be respected for his acumen and leadership.
Talk to ’em, @_tylerwade 👏 pic.twitter.com/oFJ8HrLF6T
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 21, 2025
Infielders (10)
Locked into spots: Luis Arraez, Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado
Also on the 40-man roster: Eguy Rosario, Gavin Sheets, Tyler Wade
Also in camp: Yuli Gurriel, Jose Iglesias, Mason McCoy
The Padres added Sheets to their 40-man roster partly because he has performed and partly because he could have opted out of his minor-league deal if he wasn’t added. Iglesias and Gurriel can opt out this weekend if they aren’t added to the 40-man roster.
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Like Sheets, Iglesias appears to have a strong chance of making the initial 26-man roster. Gurriel seems to have at least a decent chance. Carrying all three of these players wouldn’t be ideal. On a four-man bench, that would leave room for only a backup catcher and no true reserve outfielder. Sheets, who has minor-league options left, can fill in as a corner outfielder, but he might be better utilized as a designated hitter and occasional first baseman.
Wade and Rosario are out of minor-league options. “You … saw last year, at the end of the day, everyone’s going to help us out at some point and have big roles,” Wade said Friday after hitting his first home run of the spring. “So if it’s not now, it’s definitely later.” Still, options (or a lack thereof) and opt-outs will be a factor in deciding the composition of the roster.
Outfielders (7)
Locked into spots: Jason Heyward, Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr.
Also on the 40-man roster: Connor Joe, Brandon Lockridge, Tirso Ornelas
Also in camp: Oscar González
Heyward might not be a lock for an Opening Day job, but he certainly appears headed for one. The veteran has started most of the Cactus League games that also were started by the Padres’ surefire regulars. After a slow start to camp, he has come around a bit at the plate, although left field figures to remain a question mark in terms of offense.
Though the Padres might be leaning toward starting Ornelas and González in El Paso, Joe and Lockridge are recently proven contributors who have played well enough to earn big-league roles. The right-handed-hitting Joe could be the Opening Day starter in left field, with Chris Sale scheduled to pitch for the Atlanta Braves. Lockridge is a strong defender at all three outfield spots and leads the team in Cactus League stolen bases. But both players, unlike others, have minor-league options left.
“My instinct is we’ll have a good idea about the roster before we leave (Arizona on Monday),” Shildt said. “But never say never. It remains to be seen.”
(Photo of Yu Darvish during Game 5 of the 2024 NLDS against the Dodgers: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)
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