Out of Options: These Padres Risk Being DFA'd if They Aren't on Opening Day Roster

There is more at stake this spring than just whether a player starts, is in the bullpen, or comes off the bench. Spots on the 40-man roster are also in jeopardy for a handful of San Diego Padres who do not have the ability to be optioned to the minor leagues.

Without going into too much detail, players have to be put on the 40-man roster in order to be promoted to the major leagues. You do not have to be promoted to the major leagues if you are on the 40-man roster as MLB rosters are limited to 26 players. This creates a pseudo taxi squad of 14 players who are ostensibly in the minor leagues or on either the seven-day concussion list or the 10- (position players) or 15-day (pitchers) injured lists or other emergency lists such as bereavement or paternity. Players who are on the 60-day injured list do not count against the 40-man roster (temporarily removed) until they are activated.

The first time a player is put on a 40-man roster in his career, he receives three minor-league options. Each of these options cover a single season and allows a player to be moved freely between the majors and minors, typically Triple-A. Players can be optioned from the majors to the minors up to five times in a single season.

This means a player can be optioned from the majors to the minors in three different seasons. Options do not reset when a player changes teams or if he is removed from the 40-man roster for some reason and added back. Occasionally, a player is able to petition for a fourth option year, usually due to an injury situation or other circumstance.

One other thing: Players with five years of service time can't be optioned without their permission, so none of those players are included here.

OK, now that we have that established, how does that apply to the Padres this spring training?

There are six players in Friars camp on the 40-man roster who do not have a minor-league option remaining. The are catcher Luis Campusano, outfielder Bryce Johnson and pitchers Randy Vasquez, Matt Waldron, Ron Marinaccio and Ty Adcock.

Their paths to making the Opening Day roster are different, with some have a better chance than others.

For players from this group who don't earn one of the 26 spots on the major-league roster and are not placed on the injured lists, they will either be traded or designated for assignment, which removes them from the 40-man roster and subjects them to waivers. If they clear waivers, they can be either released or outrighted to the minors.

Luis Campusano

Campusano is as solid of a lock as there is on this list. He entered camp as the No. 2 catcher behind Freddy Fermin and no real competition from within the organization. Unless someone else is brought in or he is traded or gets hurt, Campusano will be on the Opening Day roster.

Bryce Johnson

Johnson's chances of opening the season with the Padres took a turn when outfielder Alex Verdugo agreed to a minor-league contract. Johnson played 47 games in 2024 after joining the Friars in free agency, left that offseason to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who traded him back to the Padres on April 17 for catcher Brett Sullivan. He went to Triple-A, where he stayed until being called up June 16. He saw action in 56 games the rest of the way. Now, he faces increased competition for one of three non-catcher bench spots. With one going to infielder Sung Mun Song and the other to outfielder-infielder Miguel Andujar, that leaves one more depending on how the Padres want to configure their bench. An outfielder like Johnson or Verdugo would be logical, while perhaps other non-40-man players such as Samad Taylor, Ty France, Jose Miranda, Carlos Rodriguez or Nick Schnell could grab that spot.

Randy Vasquez

Early results look promising for Vasquez to be part of the Opening Day roster and in the starting rotation, where he has been each of the last two seasons with the Friars. There was competition brought in to challenge for the last two spots in the rotation after camp began. Those additions are right-handers German Marquez, Griffin Canning and Walker Buehler, the latter signing a minor-league deal and thus not appearing on the 40-man. Canning is still making his way back from a left Achilles injury and is a candidate to begin the season on the 15-day IL.

Matt Waldron

Waldron, like Vasquez, is in competition for the rotation, though the former received a reprieve from the Padres having to make a decision on him before Opening Day. That is because the right-handed knuckleballer had hemorrhoid surgery recently and is expected to start the season on the 15-day IL. He was a borderline candidate to begin with, now with more time before the team has to add him to the major-league roster or trade or DFA him.

Ron Marinaccio

A right-handed reliever, Marinaccio spent most of 2025 at Triple-A El Paso after being purchased from the Chicago White Sox, who DFA'd him that January. Marinaccio did get called up three times and pitched in seven MLB games with a 2.01 FIP. He is squarely on the bubble, with the Padres having a few choices on how to handle him. How he performs in the World Baseball Classic with Italy could play a role; another factor is the health of the other Padres relievers. Right-hander Jason Adam (ruptured quad) and left-hander Yuki Matsui (strained adductor) are on the mend, while another candidate, right-hander Bryan Hoeing, was just shut down due to discomfort in his throwing elbow.

Ty Adcock

An early offseason signing to a major-league contract, the 29-year-old right-handed reliever has just 18 MLB games to his credit over the last three seasons with the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets. Adcock has had a good start to camp and will need to continue that in order to make the team. Like Marinaccio, his chances could depend on the health of others and the fact other candidates, like Bradgley Rodriguez, Kyle Hart, and Alek Jacob, have minor-league options remaining.