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The San Diego Padres came into the 2026 season with an unclear picture of the catching situation, and it was made worse with the news that Blake Hunt will miss time with an oblique injury. Hunt was expected to push for a roster spot when he was brought back into the San Diego organization, but manager Craig Stammen seems confident Luis Campusano can find an answer for what has kept him from being a productive member of the roster at the MLB level. Even if Hunt was not pushing for a roster spot, he provided organizational depth at the catcher position at the very least. After Freddy Fermin and Campusano, the Padres have Rodolfo Duran, Ethan Salas and Anthony Vilar as healthy catchers. The biggest question in that group is Salas, who missed all but 10 games in 2025 due to a back injury. Whether he was going to push for a roster spot or not, the injury to Hunt is problematic for the Padres.
Padres News:
- Michael King struggled in his outing against the Athletics and the San Diego hitters could only manage five hits in 7-2 loss on Monday. The adage is that you cannot put much weight into Spring Training results but seeing one of the top pitchers struggle and the lineup fail to find a rhythm at the plate does cause some concern. The Padres can get back in the win column against the Chicago White Sox today.
- Steven Souza Jr. came to the Padres when Craig Stammen took over as the manager. Souza Jr. is now the hitting coach in San Diego and is tasked with helping the lineup have greater success with power and consistency this season.
- The World Baseball Classic is upon us and the multiple members of the Padres organization who are competing for their respective countries have left camp. That means there are opportunities for the San Diego players who are remaining in camp to get extra reps and playing time. However, once the work is done the attention of Padres players and baseball fans will shift to the WBC.
- The Padres have some new additions and need to blend them into the lineup with the players returning from last season. There are multiple combinations that could be penciled into the lineup from game to game. The one thing that is certain is Stammen is not going to have a stagnant lineup.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. is finally getting his opportunity to compete on the global stage as a member of the Dominican Republic WBC team after being ineligible for the last series. He has stated multiple times in interviews that he likes the team and he believes the DR could be the last team standing.
- Despite the results from the Spring Training contest on Monday, Michael King is healthy and ready to perform for the Padres after having a solid offseason. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune covered King’s return to the mound as well as his expectations and the team’s expectations for him this season.
- Joe Musgrove is scheduled to make his return to game action this week in a matchup between the Padres and Great Britain as the team prepares for the WBC. For Musgrove the return to the mound cannot come soon enough, but he understands there will be times this season when he will have to back off the accelerator with his return from Tommy John surgery.
Baseball News:
- Team USA manager Mark DeRosa has set the rotation for his team for the WBC, and it is formidable. Logan Webb, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes and Nolan McLean are all scheduled to start the first four games of the WBC for the US. On the same day the rotation was announced, Aaron Judge spoke with his teammates about the opportunity to compete for their country.
- Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone missed all last season with a shoulder injury and after feeling some discomfort in that shoulder, his status for the start of the season is in question.