Aug 10, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers during the first inning against the against the Boston Red Sox at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Padres' Dylan Cease May Be Pitching Himself Out of Postseason Rotation, Says Insider

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Gabe Smallson | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 4:00 PM ET

A San Diego Padres insider is confident that right-hander Dylan Cease will be left off the postseason rotation if things continue the way they have been.

Cease has a 4.82 ERA this season and has a 4.94 ERA across his last five starts. Those last 23.2 innings of work have seen 30 strikeouts to 14 walks, and although the Padres have gone 4-1 in those games, the San Diego Union Tribune's Kevin Acee reported that it won't be sustainable come October.

"The reality is that if Michael King is back and throwing well and Yu Darvish continues to trend upward," wrote Acee, "it is unfathomable as of today that the Padres would give Cease a start if they have to play in the wild-card round. And should they make it to the Division Series, there would seem the only reason to use him would be if they had to because it took them three games to win their wild-card series.

The schedule for the NLDS has days off after Game 1, Game 2 and Game 4. That allows for teams to use just three starting pitchers, with the starters for the first two games able to pitch the final two (if necessary) games on regular rest."

King had been out for over three months, made a brief, two-inning start earlier this month, and is back on the injured list with a knee injury. He threw a simulated game earlier this week and can rejoin the team well before October.

Darvish is starting to settle in after a rough, and delayed start to 2025, and as Acee noted, was trending upwards, but with a 5.79 ERA across his last three outings, there is just as big a question mark surrounding the veteran as well.

As for Cease, many around the baseball world know that he can perform much better than he has shown this season. The right-hander allowed multiple runs in just 20 games last season, but Acee revealed that Cease has allowed multiple runs in 20 individual innings this season.

Perhaps nobody knows more than Cease himself that there is room for improvement, and with October looming, he recently spoke on his mindset for future starts.

“I haven’t executed as well this year, as consistent,” Cease said. “I do look back and I wish there’s things I could redo and some areas of focus I could kind of change. But I don’t know. I really like where I’m at now. I gave up four last start, (four) today. I feel much more dominant than that. I like where my stuff is at. I’ve just got to be a little bit better doing it. I’m not going to get discouraged. Honestly, at this point, I’m just fighting, just battling.”