San Diego Padres 2026 Position Analysis: Designated Hitter

If there is a set of players who have a chip on their shoulder entering the 2026 season, it is the group who will primarily fill the role of designated hitter for the San Diego Padres.

Nick Castellanos was dumped by the Philadelphia Phillies. Miguel Andujar spent most of the last two seasons with the nomadic Athletics. Sung Mun Song is new to MLB. Ty France is back just looking for a job. And there is Gavin Sheets, who could lose playing time to one or all of those players.

It is all part of the throwing-spaghetti-against-the-wall plan the Friars have taken to boosting a position that was woefully inadequate in 2025.

Padres Designated Hitters At A Glance

Starter: Nick Castellanos

Backup: Gavin Sheets, Miguel Andujar

Depth: Sung Mun Song, Manny Machado, Ty France

Padres fWAR ranking last year: 21st out of 30.

Padres fWAR projection this year: 25th out of 30.

The Good

At one point just before spring training, you could take a look at the Padres' roster and wonder if the designated hitter spot would be at all productive this year. But thanks to the usual offseason shenanigans of A.J. Preller, that is no longer the case.

In fact, there are enough candidates for at-bats here that the DH spot could be a very nice contributor to the offense.

Castellanos, the Philadelphia Phillies castoff, could get most of the time here if Sheets starts at first. Those two figure to be interchangeable at both positions depending on whose glove (or bat) is hotter. Then you have to factor in Andujar, who will be in the lineup somewhere—DH, left field or third base—due to his career success against left-handers (.297/.332/.475). Song and France, who could snag the last bench spot, will also see time at DH to keep their bats fresh.

And that isn't even figuring in Machado, who will DH on occasion to keep him fresh from the wear and tear of playing third base.

But the real focus here should be Castellanos. Setting aside the problems with the Phillies, Castellanos was a constant in Philadelphia's lineup the last four years. He posted a .260/.306/.426 slash line in that time, averaging 20 homers and 81 RBIs. Castellanos could also end up playing more first base, a position he has never played before this spring, with Sheets taking more DH at-bats. Sheets rotated between DH, first base and left field in 2025, producing a .252/.317/.429 slash line with 19 homers and 71 RBIs.

With Song expected to play second base, third base and possibly shortstop and the outfield, nearly anyone could take a day or two off the field to fill in at DH. Of course, Song himself is working his way back from his second oblique injury in two months, so DH is also a spot to ease him into his first season in MLB after nine years in the Korea Baseball Organization. In his last two years in the KBO, Song hit 45 homers and had 46 steals combined while putting up slash lines of .340/.409/.518 and .315/.387/.530. respectively.

The Bad

Do you remember who started off at DH for the Padres in 2025? It was Yuli Gurriel, who was off the roster by early May. That set the tone for the position, which produced a .225 batting average, 25th in MLB.

It could be that the Friars have too many bodies to throw at DH at this point of the season, but in essence that is a good problem to have. That depth usually sorts itself out through injuries and production. There is no huge investment in any single player in the mix at DH, so this should be a true meritocracy.

The designated hitter should never be among the least productive hitters on the team, but it was for the Friars last year. A repeat of that from the laundry list of castoffs the Padres are employing in 2026 would be catastrophic.

The Bottom Line

Whether the individuals in this group have something to prove based on their MLB track record or are a newcomer to the league, there are plenty of possibilities here. The depth itself is better than what the Padres ran out there last year, which ended up dragging down the offense. There will be more power out of the DH position, something the team needs as a whole. Castellanos is surely motivated following his unceremonious exit from Philadelphia, but he did just turn 34 and is coming off the worst season of his career. Perhaps that is resolved with the change of scenery. Having Andujar, Song and potentially France as alternatives will provide manager Craig Stammen with choices.