September Roster Moves Shows Padres’ Thin Margin For Error

In mid-September, the San Diego Padres are grappling with a familiar yet more critical dilemma: injuries are piling up just as the playoff push intensifies. The recent activity in transactions is more about survival than strategy, reflecting a team that has very little leeway left.

Padres Entered September With High-Leverage Contributors Unavailable
Xander Bogaerts has been sidelined with a broken left foot since late August, and he's just starting to get back into some limited baseball activities like taking ground balls, watching live pitches, and swinging in the cage. Even though he's officially on a 10-day IL, the hope is that he'll be back by "late September or October," but he might not be at 100% when he returns.

Nestor Cortes is now 15-day IL (retroactive to September 4) due to tendinitis of the left biceps. He recently tossed off a mound, yet he felt worse than he had anticipated after his game. This implies that the depth of rotation is not as solid, and they are putting more weight on already questionable pitchers.

David Morgan was put on the 15-day IL (retroactive to Sept. 9) due to inflammation of his right shoulder. He has had an excellent rookie season, and the team believes this is a precautionary move, as they do not want to risk endangering his arm. Even precautionary injuries are a burden.

The torn right UCL of Joe Musgrove has resulted in Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2025 season, which has been a significant burden on the Padres' pitching staff. His bullpen sessions since August are not enough to push recovery estimates to 2026.

The Padres' number one prospect, Ethan Salas, is out because of a stress reaction in his lower back, and has placed the No. 84 overall farmhand on the 60-day minor league IL. This not only affects the current depth of catching, but it is also a menace to the organization's health in the long run.

On September 1, reliever Jason Adam suffered a severe rupture of his left quadriceps tendon, with surgery on September 3 and a 15-day IL. It is anticipated that it will take him six to nine months to recover, until 2026, which will be a significant blow to the Padres' relief possibilities at such a critical juncture.

Jhony Brito has an internal brace surgery in his UCL and flexor tendon surgery that occurred in April, and has kept him on the 60-day IL since March 27. This will at least cause him to be gone until at least mid-2026, and that is a shame since he was a bright young prospect who is no longer contributing in the key moments of the Padres.

September Transactions Reflect A Team Operating With Few Options Left
On September 13, the Padres called up Bradgley Rodriguez from Triple-A El Paso and optioned LHP JP Sears. These intermediate moves suggest that the team is rearranging its depth, likely trying to utilize available pitchers rather than its first choices.

The day before, David Morgan was put on the IL. Following that, Sears was brought up. These actions suggest some bullpen rearranging to address internal issues rather than having a solid strategy in place.

On September 9, Michael King came back from the 15-day IL due to left knee inflammation, and Alek Jacob was sent down. King's comeback is crucial for the rotation, but it also highlights how unstable the rotation has been; every return is really important.

From September 6 to 9, there were several recalls (Randy Vásquez, Bradgley Rodriguez) and some optioning out (Sean Reynolds, Alek Jacob).

The Padres had to put Bogaerts on the IL, which meant they had to rely on Jose Iglesias and Mason McCoy (who they brought up from Triple-A) to fill in at shortstop. These are just temporary solutions. Iglesias is a seasoned player who offers solid defense and experience, but he hasn't been able to hit like Bogaerts; McCoy, on the other hand, has barely any experience in the big leagues.

To really get why these moves are significant, we have to see how close the standings and abilities are. The Padres are in the race for the NL West or a Wild Card spot. They're not in a secure position. The competition features the Dodgers and other West Coast rivals.

As the regular season wraps up in late September, there's a tight timeframe to solidify the roster, ensure key players are fit, and gain some momentum. Every game counts, every bullpen appearance, and the performance of every bench player could determine if they make the playoffs or not.

You can't hide hire-and-fire depth or unreliable pitchers.

From a team-building and management perspective, the Padres feel like they're walking a tightrope; any injury or poor performance starts to feel significant. The decisions being made, like recalls, options, and IL placements, are all about defense and reaction.

The decisions made in the next two weeks will reveal how resilient the Padres' depth really is.