San Diego Padres: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Padres Starting Pitcher Believes Major Velocity Jump is Coming

Veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito made his first start with the San Diego Padres this past weekend against the Seattle Mariners. Giolito went five-plus innings, allowing three runs on one hit, while walking three batters.

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Padres' Fernando Tatis 'Out of Whack', According to MLB Insider

The San Diego Padres have continued to see concerning results from Fernando Tatis Jr. at the plate. Tatis still has not hit a home run this season, and his approach to hitting has seemed very off this year.

San Diego Padres News / MLB Trade Rumors / May 21

Padres Shopping For Bullpen Help

The Padres have the one of the best bullpens in baseball, but president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is seemingly never content with his roster and always in the process of searching for upgrades.

Manny Machado News / Athlon Sports / May 21

Fantasy Baseball 2026: Manny Machado's Brutal Start – Absorb It or Take Advantage?

I’m going work hard to remain composed as I write about Manny Machado’s disastrous start to the 2026 season, but it might not be easy since his disappointing early season numbers are directly hurting my TGFBI (The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational) fantasy baseball team.

New York Yankees News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'ERA leaders since 2003' quiz

How many ERA leaders from both leagues since the 2003 season can you name in five minutes?

San Diego Padres News / San Diego Padres on SI / May 21

Padres' Injured Starting Pitcher Takes First Big Step Toward Return

The back end of the starting rotation was perhaps the biggest question facing the San Diego Padres in 2026. That has largely played out as expected nearly two months into the season.

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 25 greatest rookie seasons in MLB history

Not every all-timer has instant success at the next level. For many baseball players, it takes a few bumps in the road out of the gate before they ever reach stardom.

Josh Hader News / MLB on ClutchPoints / May 21

Padres’ perfect trade offer for Astros’ Josh Hader

The San Diego Padres have reached the point in the 2026 season where urgency outweighs patience. At 29–20 entering Thursday, the Padres sit just 1.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and firmly inside the National League playoff picture.

San Diego Padres News / MLB on ClutchPoints / May 21

Padres’ Craig Stammen makes painful Fernando Tatis Jr. confession amid unprecedented slump

The San Diego Padres are in second place in the National League West and only trail the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers by 1.5 games.

San Diego Padres News / Yardbarker / May 21

Padres monitoring trade market for relief pitching despite other needs

It comes as a surprise, considering their struggles with offense and the need for starting pitching.

Manny Machado had a tense exchange with a reporter over a question about his struggles

The six most disappointing MLB players this season

The 'Most home runs in 2021 by team' quiz

San Diego Padres News / San Diego Padres on SI / May 21

Padres' 275-Pound Undrafted Prospect Turning Into Potential Steal

Over the last couple of years, the San Diego Padres have seen the once-strong farm system dwindle in rankings around the league. Much of this has been due to blockbuster trades made from the front office, decimating the farm system to improve the major league roster.

Michael King News / Just Baseball / May 21

Michael King Has Returned to Ace Status

When the San Diego Padres traded for Michael King in the Juan Soto deal, the hope was that he was ready to take the next step as a starting pitcher. That is exactly what King did in his 2024 season, posting a 2.95 ERA with 201 strikeouts across 173.2 innings.

MLB News / Yardbarker

Which 20 players have hit four home runs in an MLB game?

The only two things rarer in modern-day baseball than the four-homer game is the Triple Crown and the unassisted triple play. The former is, of course, done over an entire season, while there's a large level of lucky in the unassisted triple play.

Shohei Ohtani News / HITC / May 21

Shohei Ohtani repeats his MLB record after hitting a leadoff homer vs. San Diego Padres

Shohei Ohtani has found another way to make an impossible MLB record belong only to him. The Los Angeles Dodgers star opened his start against the San Diego Padres with a leadoff home run, then backed it up on the mound.

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The 'ERA leaders since 2003' quiz

The '35-5-5 Conference Finals games' quiz

The 'NBA MVPs' quiz

The 'NBA steals-per-game leaders' quiz

Jose Miranda News / MLB Trade Rumors / May 20

Padres Release Jose Miranda

The Padres released corner infielder Jose Miranda from his minor league contract. The move was announced by San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate this afternoon.

San Diego Padres News / Field Level Media / May 20

Padres' Jackson Merrill suffers apparent back injury

San Diego Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill left Wednesday night's game against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers after four innings with an apparent back injury.

MLB News / Gaslamp Ball / May 20

Game 49: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres

Los Angeles Dodgers (30-19) at San Diego Padres (29-19), May 20, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST Watch: Padres.TV Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif. Listen: 97.3 The Fan Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

Mason Miller News / San Diego Padres on SI / May 20

One Dodgers Hitter Believes He Knows How to Beat Padres' Mason Miller

San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller's performance since being traded to the National League West has been incredible, so much so that it's inserted him into the Cy Young conversation in 2026.

San Diego Padres News / San Diego Padres on SI / May 20

AJ Preller Reveals When Padres Could Promote Ethan Salas to MLB

San Diego Padres top prospect Ethan Salas is making headlines in the midst of a breakout season in the minor leagues. At Double-A this season, the catcher is hitting .303 with six home runs, 23 runs batted in and an OPS of .882.

San Diego Padres News / MLB on ClutchPoints / May 20

When will Padres pitchers German Marquez, Matt Waldron return from injuries?

The San Diego Padres have four starting pitchers on the IL right now, with German Marquez and Matt Waldron being two of them. While they are each dealing with their own injuries, a new update reveals when both pitchers could return to action.

San Diego Padres News / Larry Brown Sports / May 20

Manny Machado had a tense exchange with a reporter over a question about his struggles

Manny Machado can play different roles, but one thing he is sure he is not is a “theorist.” The San Diego Padres star, who is not having a great 2026 season at the plate, had an intriguing exchange with a reporter following the Friars’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Tuesday.