A.J. Preller hit the upgrade button and solidified some weak spots for the San Diego Padres’ roster.

The president of baseball operations brought in three candidates for the rotation and two bats since Padres Mission did the first version of an Opening Day roster projection at the beginning of the month. That is five veterans who could play big roles for the Friars. It didn’t take much to fit four of those players on the 40-man roster, with the fifth getting a minor-league deal.

That means players who felt good about their roster spots at the beginning of spring training suddenly had their roles change or their roster spots not locked in.

Now that there are about a week’s worth of Cactus League games in the books and a few injuries to consider, here is Padres Mission’s look at how we see the first Opening Day roster for new manager Craig Stammen coming together.

Starting Rotation (5)

v.2.0 changes: Walker Buehler and German Marquez replace Randy Vasquez and JP Sears.

In addition to Buehler, who signed a minor-league deal, and Marquez, the Padres also signed right-hander Griffin Canning, who is still working his way back from a ruptured left Achilles injury and has been throwing early in camp. A SoCal native, Canning will begin the season on the injured list. A typical recovery time is nine months, and Canning was injured at the end of June, so a late-April return would be an early target.

But the real impact is bringing on Buehler and Marquez, two established veterans looking to bounce back on team-friendly deals. Buehler can earn $1.5 million when added to the MLB roster, while Marquez has a major-league deal for $1.75 million. Buehler hasn’t been at his best since having Tommy John surgery in August 2022, but showed some promise in his final seven outings of 2025, four with the Boston Red Sox and three with the Philadelphia Phillies after being released. Marquez could simply improve with a change of scenery following parts of 10 seasons with the Colorado Rockies. Marquez also had Tommy John surgery, his coming early in the 2024 season. He returned to make 26 starts in 2025, but struggled to a 5.47 FIP.

It will be up to pitching coach and associate manager Ruben Niebla to get the veterans experiencing success once again. The loser in these additions is Vasquez, who was sitting as the No. 4 choice entering camp. He doesn’t do anything very well and would be a solid part of the rotation if not for the presence of Buehler or Marquez. Any setbacks for any of the five starters mentioned above would open the door for Vasquez, who doesn’t have any minor-league options remaining. It is a good problem for the Friars to have after beginning the month pretty thin.

Bullpen (8)

v.2.0 changes: None.

No big concerns about one of the top bullpens in all of MLB. The only issue that has cropped up thus far is a minor groin injury to Matsui, who withdrew from the World Baseball Classic. His status for Opening Day is still up in the air, but that is a month away. I am still being cautious with right-hander Jason Adam, who is coming back from a ruptured left quadriceps tendon on Sept. 1. Adam recently expressed optimism he could pitch Opening Day, but ensuring he is 100% back is more important. Marinaccio, who is out of options, could be the odd man out if Adam is ready, although Rodriguez could be sent to Triple-A as well.

Catcher (2)

v.2.0 changes: None.

Not much to update here. Fermin is the starter and Campusano the backup. This is the first season Fermin will be the primary starter after serving as Salvador Perez‘s backup with the Kansas City Royals. He did play in 111 and 109 games each of the last two seasons with about 350 plate appearances each, so durability shouldn’t be a problem. He has a career .264/.309/.376 slash line, which is fine. How Stammen mixes in Campusano will be interesting. Campusano is a bat-first catcher with a .240/.294/.372 MLB slash line over six seasons. Fans have been waiting for him to break through. Is this the year?

Infield (6)

v.2.0 changes: Nick Castellanos replaced Mason McCoy.

Are the Padres a perfect landing place for Castellanos, considering his exit from the Philadelphia Phillies? Perhaps. He is buddies with Machado, as both grew up in the Miami area, so that will help with the clubhouse adjustment. Any missteps in Philly will be put in the rearview mirror if Castellanos can do two things: 1) capably play first base; and 2) come surpass the .260/.306/.426 slash line he put up in four years with the Phillies. Castellanos averaged 20.5 homers there, including hitting 29 in 2023. The power is something the Friars most definitely need after finishing 28th in homers last year.

Adding Castellanos, providing he can play first, pushes Sheets to more of a DH role after having to play too much left field in 2025 and creates more lineup depth. It also creates more flexibility at DH based on matchups or simply giving players like Machado a day off. The biggest gap with this move is not having a true shortstop as a backup to Bogaerts. Cronenworth played the position last year when Bogaerts was injured, doing it pretty well, so Mason McCoy would just be a phone call away if needed. Song is looking like a utility player at this point and is expected to see time in the outfield this spring.

Outfield (5)

v.2.0 changes: Miguel Andujar replaced Tirso Ornelas.

Raise your hand if you thought Tirso Ornelas was going to start the season on the Opening Day roster. It was just a matter of time before Preller addressed that weakness and added more offense to this mix. Andujar was signed to a one-year, $4 million contract. He does very well against left-handed pitchers, producing a .389/.409/.578 slash line in 2025 and a .297/.332/.475 career mark. Andujar will get time as the DH as well as left field, and spot starts at third and first. No longer a great source of power due to injuries, Andujar will get on base and drive in runs. Ornelas, by the way, was designated for assignment in order to add Canning to the 40-man roster, but cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso.

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