Padres Have Impossible Roster Decision to Make This Week

San Diego Padres star reliever Jason Adam is set to return to the bullpen soon, which creates roster problems for the team.

Adam will almost certainly be activated during the Padres' four-game series against the Colorado Rockies that begins Thursday. The Friars will get a much-needed boost to their bullpen with the return of the star reliever, who underwent quad tendon surgery in September.

If Adam picks up right where he left off, the duo of him and Mason Miller in the back-end of the bullpen will be among the best in baseball. In 2025, Adam posted a 1.93 ERA with 70 strikeouts across 65.1 innings of work.

At 33 years old, the right-hander was selected to his first All-Star Game last year. Adam, Robert Suarez and Adrian Morejon represented the Padres bullpen in the Midsummer Classic, which marked the first time in MLB history a trio of relievers were selected from the same team.

While it's great news Adam will finally be joining the Padres bullpen, it also means the team will have some tough decisions regarding other pitchers.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune broke down the incoming roster crunch that potentially affects multiple relievers, including Ron Marinaccio, Kyle Hart, David Morgan and Bradgley Rodriguez.

"With Ron Marinaccio pitching well and out of options and pitching, the decision would seem to be who to send down between left-hander Kyle Hart, David Morgan or Bradgley Rodriguez," Acee writes.

"The issue with sending down Hart is both his handedness and his status as their long reliever. But Marinaccio and Morgan have worked two innings multiple times this season."

How Has the Padres Bullpen Performed Early in 2026?

Morgan has done everything the Friars have asked of him as he's doesn't have an earned run across seven innings this season. Hart has taken on a multi-inning relief role with the Padres this season and his 4.70 ERA is from one bad outing in 2026.

Rodriguez has been charged with one earned run, but it came when Wandy Peralta was on the mound and gave up back-to-back doubles.

All three relievers have done well to open the year, but the Padres will have to decide who gets sent down to the minors with Adam ready to make his return.

The Padres bullpen is just outside of the top 10 in collective ERA, ranking 11th with a 3.44 overall mark. Last season, the unit was arguably the best in baseball as it finished the year with a league-leading 3.06 ERA and 1.01 WHIP while keeping opponents to a .191 batting average.

Adam played a pivotal role in the team's success and he was missed in the Padres' postseason run, which ended early. San Diego is set to have a 1-2 punch in the back-end of the bullpen with Miller and Adam, but it comes at the cost of another reliever's early-season success.

It's not clear who will be sent down to the minors (or designated for assignment), but it will mean the Padres lose a productive reliever in the bullpen for the time being.

It will be interesting to see what decision the Padres make.

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