The Padres’ September roster picture is starting to sharpen, and the job description is fairly clear. With the expanded roster giving San Diego two extra spots, the club is looking for one position player and one pitcher who can help right away, not just add another name to the list.
That makes this less about ceremonial promotions and more about usefulness. The Padres do not need a call-up for the sake of calling someone up. They need players Craig Stammen can actually lean on in games that matter.
On the position-player side, Ethan Salas is the most attention-grabbing name in the group. The 20-year-old has hit well enough at Triple-A to enter the discussion, and bringing up the organization’s top catching prospect would certainly inject some life into September.
But there’s a catch: he would need to play regularly to make sense, and that doesn’t line up cleanly with the current roster. Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano are already behind the plate, and Salas is not on the 40-man roster.
If he came up just to catch a couple times and spend most of the month on the bench, that would look more like a showcase than a real baseball move.
A more practical route could be Samad Taylor or Sung-Mun Song. Taylor is already on a rehab assignment and brings speed, defensive versatility and some veteran comfort in a bench role.
Song would add another left-handed bat along with extra infield coverage. Neither would cause a stir, but September often comes down to players who can give the club a small edge in the right spot.
If the Padres want to tilt toward defense, Gage Workman has a legitimate case. Will Wagner is another left-handed option with on-base skills, though his spot on the temporarily inactive list makes his immediate status murky.
Miguel Andújar is on a different timeline altogether. His fractured right wrist likely keeps him out of the Sept. 1 picture, but a return later in the month could end up being more valuable than a standard early call-up.
The pitching side is trickier, mostly because the candidates do not all fill the same lane. Jhony Brito and J.P.
Sears can provide length, which matters when a starter leaves early and the bullpen has to soak up the middle innings. Alek Jacob and Hunter Stratton fit more naturally as traditional relief options.
Garrett Hawkins is still an interesting arm, but putting that kind of pressure on him during a playoff chase would carry some risk.
If the Padres are looking for the safest route, Brito may be the answer. He’s familiar, can cover multiple innings and would not force the team to change much. Sears offers the left-handed version of that same idea.
But Joe Musgrove changes the equation. After a five-inning, 60-pitch rehab outing, his return is close enough that it can’t be treated like a distant possibility. If San Diego activates him around Sept. 1, he becomes the pitching decision, and the rest of the group is left waiting for the next opening.
In Other News...
Padres Suddenly Face A Bigger Concern With Luis Rengifo
The Padres were already dealing with the usual late-season grind when Luis Rengifos night took a sudden turn in the seventh inning against the Rays. The utility man went down without contact, stayed on the field for several minutes in obvious pain and ultimately had to be carted off after being unable to put weight on his right leg, a scary scene for a player who has carved out a meaningful role since joining San Diego after starting the season with Milwaukee.
Rengifo had become a useful piece for the Padres in 38 games, giving the club flexibility and production in a spot where depth always matters. Now the bigger concern is less about the box score from one game and more about how long San Diego might have to go without him, with the team waiting on a much clearer picture of what the lower-leg injury means. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Have A Samad Taylor Decision They Cant Dodge
Samad Taylors quick rise in San Diego has turned into one of the quieter roster questions on the Padres radar. Signed to a minor-league deal in January, he earned a call to the majors on June 3 and made a real impression before a right oblique strain knocked him out on July 8. In 26 games, Taylor hit .330/.410/.398 and chipped in six stolen bases, the kind of production that can change how a club thinks about its bench and lineup depth.
He is back on a rehab assignment now, and the early results have only complicated the decision the Padres are going to have to make. Taylor has been productive in seven Triple-A games, slashing .304/.407/.478, and that performance is likely to keep pressure on the club to find him a meaningful role once he is fully ready. The issue is not whether he has earned attention. It is how San Diego fits him in when he returns. [Read more 🡒]
Ethan Salas Is Making A Padres Decision Much Harder Than Expected
Ethan Salas has made a quick impression since his late-July move to Triple-A, turning what looked like a developmental step into a legitimate late-season question for the Padres. The top prospect has hit .325 with three home runs and 25 RBIs over 22 games, giving the organization a compelling reason to keep watching him closely as the major league roster tries to sort itself out for the stretch run.
Manager Craig Stammen has already acknowledged Salas is capable of handling the majors, but ability is only part of the decision now. San Diego has to weigh his readiness against the ripple effects of a promotion, and the club is also factoring in how a potential lockout could affect roster moves and player contact, which only adds another layer to a call that has gotten a lot more complicated than it seemed a month ago. [Read more 🡒]