After One Start, JP Sears Has Reintroduced Himself As A Viable Padres Rotation Option

[Randy Holt]

The San Diego Padres — sweep of Atlanta last week be damned — are a team with a rotation in shambles. 

Aside from Michael King at its head, the remainder of the team's starting five is full up with questions ranging from concern to outright despair. Randy Vásquez has regressed mightily after a strong start. Walker Buehler has been toeing the line of being perfectly adequate but nothing beyond it. Griffin Canning and his command woes went from starter to bulk guy and then forgot the bulk in a less-than-one-inning outing last week. Lucas Giolito is on the injured list with elbow inflammation after his own issues with volume. Germán Márquez has been out since May 1, though his own impending return to the mix will add yet another wild-card element. Each of Joe Musgrove and Nick PIvetta remain out without a timeline.

That's quite a bit of mess for one rotation. Considering the lack of certainty just about everywhere, it's entirely possible that JP Sears can now play a role in a much shorter term than would have been expected. 

The reason for such thinking stems from the singular start that Sears has made in 2026. On the heels of Giolito's IL placement, Sears became a surprise call-up for Wednesday's series finale against Atlanta. For a pitching staff with a dire need for volume, Sears provided it in the form of a 5.2-inning start in which he scattered five hits & two walks while keeping a first-place team off the scoreboard. 

It was an encouraging outing for Sears that bordered on shocking. He had an ERA over eight in spring training that led the team toward their more established options for rotation spots (though his ability to be optioned certainly played its role there as well). Then, with El Paso, he posted a 7.92 ERA through 14 starts. Even considering the hitter-friendly environment that the Pacific Coast League represents, there was very little reason to expect that Sears had the ability to stave off a thriving Atlanta team in the way that he did. Yet, what manifested out of Wednesday's start was something quite encouraging. 

Sears garnered whiffs at a 22 percent clip, utilizing his changeup as the secondary pitch while his sweeper — the pitch we saw him lean on as a No. 2 last season — took on a tertiary role that helped to increase its effectiveness. He generated a swing-and-miss with the sweeper 43 percent of the time, nearly doubling the amount induced with either his fastball or his change. 

It's difficult to draw too many conclusions after one start, especially for a pitcher who had experienced his share of struggles since being acquired at last season's trade deadline. However, there's also a real opportunity for Sears to latch onto a gig in relatively short order. 

This is a rotation that is now down Giolito in addition to two of its stalwarts in Pivetta & Musgrove. Canning has struggled to the point where his roster spot is in question, with Márquez sharing a similar track record prior to his IL stint. At this point, only King & Buehler feel like safe bets to remain in the big-league rotation, with Vásquez's June woes beginning to soften the ground on which he stands. This isn't a situation where Sears needs to be perfect in order to latch on as the No. 5 starter; being merely adequate would be a godsend,

Keep in mind that the thing the Padres need most out of their starting staff is volume. Given its assembly, the team is not expecting dominant performances out of their rotation. It's about remaining afloat for five or six innings until the dominant bullpen can take charge. If the Friars feel that Sears offers them that kind of volume, then it's not even a question as to whether or not he could hold down a spot. 

He did it in start No. 1. The challenge now becomes doing it in start No. 2. If he can hold steady, the Padres likely would not hesitate to give him an extended run in such a role.

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