2026 San Diego Padres Opening Day Roster Projection

February is here, which means pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training is on the horizon.

A lot of the heavy work has been done by president of baseball operations A.J. Preller (or has it?), with the majority of players who will be reporting to Peoria, Ariz., already on the roster. Still, there are some soft spots, including the bench. Which of those players will be on the Opening Day roster come March 26 when the Friars host two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park?

Let's take a position-by-position look to see who those 26 will be.

Starting Rotation (5)

• Nick Pivetta
• Michael King
• Joe Musgrove
• Randy Vasquez
• JP Sears

There was a saying by the old Boston team that was in the NL in the 1948 season when referring to its starting staff of "Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain." Well, this Padres rotation isn't at that level, but could be if it could gets hit by injuries. And that is with the knowledge that Musgrove has yet to pitch in a game since having Tommy John surgery in October 2024. Musgrove will be 16 months removed from that procedure when spring training begins and recently said he is in a "good position" to begin 2026. The veteran right-hander only made 19 regular-season starts in 2024, as he battled elbow ailments before blowing it out in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series vs. Atlanta. That came after a 2023 season in which he was limited to 17 starts due to a weightlifting incident in which he broke a toe (and  developed shoulder issues).

If Musgrove can hit the ground running to begin the season, the Friars' top three of him, Nick Pivetta, and Michael King will be just fine. It is a big season for all three right-handers. While Musgrove is hoping to remain healthy, Pivetta and King have contract motivations. Both have opt-outs following 2026, so this could be the last season for the duo in San Diego. That carrot at the end of the stick serves as additional motivation to do well, knowing a payday is waiting for them.

Pivetta had a breakthrough 2025 in his first season with the Padres, finishing sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting. King returned to the Friars after receiving a qualifying offer and, sensing a soft market, took a three-year, $75 million deal that pays him $17 million in 2026. Shoulder and knee injuries hampered him in 2025, when he made just 15 starts.

After that, the Friars are hoping for the best. Vasquez made 26 starts (28 appearances) last year and had a 4.85 FIP and 3.84 ERA. Sears is the only left-hander in this group and made just five starts with a 6.18 FIP after coming over from the A's in the Mason Miller trade. The options should anyone go down are left-hander Kyle Hart and right-handers Matt Waldron and Miguel Mendez. Another low-cost addition to the rotation wouldn't be surprising before Opening Day.

Bullpen (8)

• Mason Miller
• Adrian Morejon
• Jeremiah Estrada
• Wandy Peralta
• David Morgan
• Yuki Matsui
• Bradley Rodriguez
• Ron Marinaccio

This is a pretty good group even after the loss of closer Robert Suarez to free agency. Miller's acquisition at the trade deadline softens Suarez's loss a bit. Morejon, Estrada and Peralta will be the key performers in bullpen that could get a lot of work early in the season with Musgrove's uncertainty and the dependance on Vasquez and Sears in the rotation.

Morgan was a true find last year, coming out of nowhere to earn a trusted spot in the bullpen, making 41 appearances. Rodriguez is an exciting prospect to watch, having also made his MLB debut in 2025 like Morgan. Rodriguez has been a top prospect and made seven MLB appearances and could earn a vital role as the season goes along. Marinaccio will be looking to prove himself after being on the shuttle to Triple-A El Paso in 2025. He gets this opportunity thanks to a couple of injuries; right-handers Jason Adam (ruptured left quadriceps tendon) and Jhony Brito (right elbow surgery) aren't expected to be ready for Opening Day. Brito would be the first one back following internal brace surgery as well as a procedure to fix his flexor tendon that sidelined him all of 2025. Adam might not be too far behind depending on his recovery after being injured Sept. 1. A ruptured quad tendon has a recovery time of six-nine months — Feb. 1 marks six months. Matsui has been solid, albeit with some rocky experiences.

Catcher (2)

• Freddy Fermin
• Luis Campusano

The only truly locked-in position for the Friars at this moment. Fermin came over at the trade deadline for a big price in young starting pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. Catcher was a nonentity for the Padres most of last season, so getting anything out of Fermin, who has a .264/.309/.376 career slash line mainly as the backup to Salvador Perez, would be terrific. Campusano gets another chance after being relegated to El Paso most of last season. He had a monster year at Triple-A (.336/.441/.595, 25 homers, 95 RBIs), but other than a flash in 2023, he hasn't shown that ability at the MLB level. Combine that with suspect defense and you get why this might be his last chance in a Friars uniform. Campusano could see time as the designated hitter, too.

Infield (6)

• Manny Machado (3B)
• Xander Bogaerts (SS)
• Jake Cronenworth (2B-1B)
• Gavin Sheets (1B)
• Sung Mun Song (2B-3B)
• Mason McCoy (SS-2B)

This group could use another bat, especially if the DH comes from here. Machado and Bogaerts are the no-doubters here at third base and shortstop, respectively. The true wild card is Song, the free-agent signee from South Korea. The 29-year-old had two really productive years in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024 and 2025, posting slash lines of .340/.409/.518 and .315/.387/.530 with a combined 45 homers, 194 RBIs and 46 stolen bases. While his natural position of third base is manned by Machado, if he can prove a capable glove at second base, a position he did play in the KBO, and adjust to MLB pitching, the Padres could be sitting in a good spot offensively. He is also expected to see some time in the outfield in spring training to see how he fits there.

Song at second would allow Cronenworth to slide to first base, with the veteran infielder playing second when Song spells Machado. For a better defense, Sheets is better-suited to be the DH (he had 64 starts each in left field and DH and 13 at first in 2025). The real question on the infield is who will get the other backup spot: McCoy or Will Wagner. Neither will give you much of anything offensively, so it will be up to their defense. The other contender here is Jose Miranda, who has a minor-league deal with a spring training invite. While he does have the ability to hit, Miranda is a corner infielder, leaving the Friars without a backup shortstop. McCoy and Wagner have options left, so one will start in the minors. Another option could be to carry McCoy and Wagner and go with four outfielders with Sheets and Song being able to flex out there.

Outfield (5)

• Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF)
• Jackson Merrill (CF)
• Ramon Laureano (LF)
• Bryce Johnson (OF)
• Tirso Ornelas (LF-RF)

Tatis, Merrill and Laureano are the clear-cut starters from right field to left. Defensively, it might be the best trio in all of baseball, thanks to the addition of Laureano at the trade deadline. That will certainly bolster any shortcomings in the starting rotation. Offensively, Merrill had a down sophomore year after finishing second in the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year voting. Some of that downswing can be attributed to injuries. Merrill had a strained right hamstring, a concussion and a bone bruise in his left ankle. Laureano is coming off one of his best offensive years, which included him matching his career high with 24 homers.

Johnson is a solid backup who can play all three spots and had a really good offensive showing in 2025. In just 55 games, he slashed .342/.383/.434, with his batting average nearly double what he had in limited time in his first three MLB seasons (.177). Then we get to Ornelas, who is primarily a corner guy who has some experience in center. Ornelas made his MLB debut in 2025, appearing in seven games, and doesn't bring much in the way or power or sustained speed on the basepaths. A recent addition on a minor-league deal, Samad Taylor could also be in the mix for the last roster spot.