Top 5 San Diego Padres Spring Training Storylines

Before undergoing Tommy John surgery, Joe Musgrove was the rock of the rotation. From 2021 to 2024, Musgrove pitched in 98 games, posting a 3.20 ERA with 585 strikeouts across 559.1 innings pitched. He has shown up on the big stage, with a 2.82 ERA in four postseason starts with the team. 

When healthy, Musgrove created elite chase while limiting hard contact. To do so, he primarily relied on his four-seam fastball, curveball, and cutter. The remaining pitches are a slider, a changeup, and a sweeper, which are his swing-and-miss options. 

The main thing to look for is whether he retained his pre-surgery velocity. While he was never a hard thrower, averaging 93 mph, he relied on pounding the top of the zone with his fastball and allowing the rest of his pitches to play off that tunnel.

What is most important for Musgrove is regaining trust in all of his pitches. When he is on, he has all six of them filling up the strike zone, keeping hitters guessing. Players can struggle with trusting their bodies post-surgery, not saying Musgrove is dealing with this issue, but for a pitcher, feel and conviction are everything.

Who Will Be The Fifth Starter?

Now, for another rotation question, who will pitch their way to the fifth spot?

In his first start, Matt Waldron looked impressive, firing two scoreless innings. There were noticeable upticks in his velocity. His fastball sat at 93.3 mph compared to 90.1 mph last season, and the knuckleball was up from 79.4 mph to 82.5 mph.

Knuckleballers historically have been extremely volatile, so counting on Waldron to maintain success over the course of a season wouldn’t be the wisest decision. Putting him further down the totem pole is a hemorrhoid issue that has shut him down and is considered week to week. Hopefully, he recovers quickly and resumes pitching later this spring.

Triston McKenzie is attempting a comeback after a series of injuries has derailed his young career. His 2022 success is what he and the team want to recapture. In his first start, he was hit around, but the biggest takeaway was the velocity jump.

Before his Spring Training debut, his previous career high velocity was 96.5 mph, and in his one inning of work, he popped a 98.7. Two things can be gathered from this one pitch alone. Starting with his arm, it’s healthy and more alive than ever. The other is that his ceiling as a starter has risen. 

Throughout the rest of the spring, it will be up to McKenzie to show he can control his newfound velocity and still get swing-and-miss with his big curveball.

Both Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez have yet to throw an inning for the team, but both remain capable options. They are both similar, struggling in their first year removed from Tommy John and aiming to rebound. 

The hope for Márquez is that his velocity is around 96-97, and he can use his knucklecurve as his main putaway pitch. And for Buehler, if he can show upticks in the velocity like McKenzie and Waldron, there is an outside chance he can ascend back to elite starter status.

Griffin Canning is the last of the viable rotation options. He is progressing in his rehab from Achilles surgery, throwing off a mound and doing agility drills. In his short stint with the Mets, his changeup became an outlier pitch, leading to a career resurgence.

He has some hurdles to clear to return to game speed, primarily more bullpens and working in simulated games. Those will all have to go well and he may get some time at the end of spring, but it’s expected for him to return in late April or early May.

Sung-Mun Song and His Role

In his time in the KBO, Sung-Mun Song established himself as a premier hitter. He posted back-to-back seasons over a .900 OPS, including 25 stolen bases and 26 home runs in 2025. He primarily played third base in Korea but is expected to be the team’s Swiss Army knife.

He’s been seen taking reps at first base and in the outfield, and Stammen has suggested some time at DH for Song.

The path to Song’s everyday playing time is murky at the moment. The infield is anchored with Manny Machado at third, Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, Jake Cronenworth at second, and Sheets at first. Additionally, the outfield is set. Yes, Song is versatile, but where does he fit?

Seeing where he takes the majority of his work will be key. Like most international signings, there is an adjustment period to major league pitching, so take his at-bats with a grain of salt.

If Stammen can find ways for Song to get consistent playing time, he can easily be a 20-20 threat. 

Will Luis Campusano Break Through?

The handling of Luis Campusano has been perplexing, but now he has one more chance to prove he can be a viable backup behind Freddie Fermin.

Maybe a little faith in him is all that is needed to get him going; it’s clear the team is counting on him to produce. Preller didn’t make any moves to bring in any major league replacements, and the internal options aren’t ready.

To prove he can be the team’s backup, the monster offensive production he had in the minors has to translate, and he defensively needs to show improvement.

The Different Lineup Configurations

In the first spring game, Stammen’s lineup was a shock. He had Bogaerts hitting leadoff and Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting fourth, a stark contrast from last season. Since then, Stammen has experimented with guys in various spots.

On February 26, he had Tatis hitting second and Sheets in the cleanup slot with the majority of the lineup alternating from righty to lefty. 

Could this be a preview for the season? Or is Stammen trying to gauge where guys are comfortable and can thrive?

He may play the matchups given the amount of platoon options he has at his disposal. As we get closer to the season, there will likely be more clarity on how the lineup will look on a regular basis. For now, it will be intriguing to see the different variations Stammen puts out on the field.