Padres Press Clips Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Article Source Author Page Padres improvement will mean tough choices for team, SD Union Tribune Acee 2 players

Lamet feeling 'better'; Padres weigh options to replace him SD Union Tribune Acee 6 in rotation

Padres close out exhibition schedule with win over Chihuahuas SD Union Tribune Acee 9

This is the Padres' projected Opening Day lineup MLB.com Cassavell 10

Lamet injury leaves Padres scrambling MLB.com Cassavell 12

Padres send reliever Capps to Triple-A MLB.com Cassavell 15

Cordero tabbed as Padres' impact prospect MLB.com Callis, Mayo, Rosenbaum 16

Padres Make Roster Moves NBC 7 Togerson 18

East Village Block Party to Celebrate Padres Opening Weekend NBC 7 Johnson, Garske 20

Andy’s Address, 3/27 FriarWire Center 21

#PadresOnDeck: a Right-Hander FriarWire Center 24 to Watch

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Padres improvement will mean tough choices for team, players

Kevin Acee

Cory Spangenberg was angry, hurt. It seems, in fact, as though the decision still rankles him.

The memory makes him stop and stare, his eyes wide and moist. The pain comes back and fills his face.

And that is exactly what the Padres want in a player told he needs to go to the minor leagues.

“It sucks,” Spangenberg said, recalling being informed at the end of last spring trainingthat he was being sent to this West Texas town in the middle of the middle of nowhere. “There’s no other way to put it. You want to be in the big leagues. You never want to go to Triple-A . At the same time, it’s your career, and how you react to it is only going to pay dividends or hurt you.”

In Spangenberg’s exit meeting, manager told him he needed more at-bats, some work at third base and maybe some other stuff.

“To be honest, you really don’t hear it,” Spangenberg said. “You work all offseason to play in San Diego and to make the big-league club. When they tell you no, it’s devastating.”

The Padres played in the ballpark of their Triple-A affiliate, the , on Monday night, their final exhibition before Thursday’s opening-day game against the Brewers at Petco Park. A handful of the major leaguers who flew to San Diego on the team’s charter flight after the game will in the next few days be sent back to Arizona where the Chihuahuas are wrapping up minor league camp.

For all the excitement over the Padres’ apparent upward talent trajectory, there is a very human fallout.

Good players, the kind that could be on a major league roster, the kind that used to be the Padres’ best players, won’t make this and future Padres teams.

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“It’s not like one guy,” outfielder Travis Jankowski said. “It’s a group of guys who have earned the right to be in the majors. … It reflects on the organization and the direction it’s going. We have big league players in Triple-A. That’s a great problem for the team to have.”

This is not entirely new, just increasing. The Chihuahas won the Pacific Coast League title in 2016 and lost in the championship series last year.

“We put good teams there the last couple years, and we expect to put a good team there this year,” Green said. “There’s some guys left off our roster that have probably earned the right to play in the big leagues that will be in El Paso again.”

If the Padres are who they think they are becoming, this is only going to happen more often to more players with whom Padres fans are familiar.

There was a time when the Padres did not have this abundance of talent in the minor leagues. There have also been times they were compelled to rush their best players to the majors for want of something to be excited about.

Now the talent is stacking up. The Chihuahuas are essentially being squeezed from the bottom, with Luis Urias and Fernando Tatis and a host of ready to rise, and from the top, with the Padres utilizing Southwest Airlines quite a bit to shuttle players back and forth.

“It’s nice to have those guys in spots where some of them are going down to be depth pieces for you,” Green said. “You need that to be a championship club. The message now is ‘It’s not a 25-man roster. It’s a 35- to 40-man roster. Literally. You guys that are not going to make the club are going to make key contributions before the year is out.’ That’s a fact. That’s not blowing smoke to make people feel better. It is hard for players to wrap their minds around that. There is so much emphasis put on March 29. March 29 is just one game.”

The composition of the 25-man roster is almost certain to change within the first week. Probably sooner.

The Padres might start the season with just seven relievers, one less than they think they’ll need not terribly far into a 17-day stretch with no off days. There might be injuries. Franchy Cordero will be difficult to keep down if his groin injury is healed and he hits in Triple-A the way he did last season. 3

The Padres made their first call-up/send-down four days into last season, with another two days later and another the day after that. On it went.

“It’s a long season,” General Manager A.J. Preller said. “… Opening day is a fun day. It’s an exciting day. But it’s just one day in the season.”

As he discussed the possible makeup of the season-opening roster when it is submitted, likely shortly before the Thursday morning deadline, Preller said “It’s decisions based on long term — for the season, mainly this year but also the next couple years — understanding the roster might change by the second series.”

After 17 games for the Chihuahuas, Spangenberg was called up last April 25.

He’d arrived angry and left with a .348/.403/.470 hitting line. He spent the rest of the season with the Padres.

It is the job of El Paso manager to reiterate Green’s message when a player arrives after being sent down. A 14-year veteran of the majors, Barajas draws on his own experience having ridden the elevator.

“I know the toll it takes on you emotionally,” he said. “Once you get to the big leagues you want to stay there. The reality of this game is everyone is going to be bouncing up and down at some point in their career.”

The players caught in the crunch try not to think about it. But they know about it.

“ is an evolving game,” said Carlos Asuaje, who was one of the Padres’ top hitters from the time of his June 6 call-up through the end of the season but came into this camp fighting for a roster spot. “That’s the nature of it. … One thing you can see, the best teams, all the players seem to be playing at a higher level. When everyone is competing, everyone is playing at their best, it’s automatically going to get you to kick it up to the next level.”

That’s what happened this spring. The outfield race seemed to shift as frequently as the desert wind. At second base, for Asuaje’s statistical advantage and all-around improvements, it could be considered a coin flip between him and Spangenberg. Six relievers were scheduled to pitch here Monday night for the Padres with their jobs ostensibly in the balance.

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The line of the spring came from Hunter Renfroe, the power hitting outfielder who seems to have prevailed in the fight to retain his spot: “It’s going to be interesting who gets a spot and who gets the shaft.”

Whoever gets the shaft will have a choice to make.

Barajas recalled his first visit last April with Spangenberg, who had spent time in the majors each of the previous three seasons.

“I know it was really, really tough on Cory,” Barajas said. “… He was really bummed. My message was clear to him. I said, ‘You think you’re as good as Ryan Schimpf?’ He said, ‘Absolutely I am as good as him.’ I said, ‘Then go out there and prove it. If you’re better than him, just go out and perform.’ He did.

“Cory Spangenberg was awesome for us. He came in every day ready to work. He asked questions. He wanted knowledge. The way he did it is the way I wish every single guy in Triple-A did it.”

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Lamet feeling 'better'; Padres weigh options to replace him in rotation

Kevin Acee

As the Padres breathe a sigh of relief over the ailing right elbow of , they are weighing the options for replacing him in his scheduled start Friday and beyond.

Further, the decision on how to proceed in their starting rotation is forcing the team to confront the possible reconstruction of its entire roster.

It appears Robbie Erlin or Tyson Ross are the leading candidates to take Lamet’s spot in his first turn, possibly contingent on how Ross feels Tuesday or Wednesday. The right- hander took a line drive off his throwing forearm in his last outing. He threw well afterward and came out of a Sunday bullpen feeling good, but the Padres want to make sure.

It was just Sunday morning that manager Andy Green officially named the pitching order for the opening series against the Brewers — Clayton Richard on opening day Thursday, followed by Lamet and Luis Perdomo.

“Four hours later,” Green noted, “Lamet is hurt.”

Too, it should be noted the Padres have in recent years had a number of pitchers initially thought to be injured far less severely than what ended up being reality. That includes the initial announcement in 2016 of an elbow strain for Erlin, who later required Tommy John surgery, and Ross going on the DL for what was termed “precautionary” reasons early in 2016 before he missed the entire season and had surgery.

Green acknowledged certainty can only be had with the passage of time.

“Some things tend to take longer than you expect,” he said. “… It’s really hard sometimes to know how the body is going to respond. Something that’s small takes longer than you expect, and something that seemed huge yesterday might end up being smaller than we expect.”

The Padres believe Lamet can return by May, though they have not put a hard timeline on his recovery. In fact, based on how he felt Monday, there is reserved optimism he can be back even sooner.

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“He wanted to throw today,” Green said Monday afternoon before the Padres played a game here against their Triple-A affiliate.

Green said Lamet had not undergone imaging on the elbow but did have an additional examination and “is feeling exponentially better than he was (Sunday).”

Green confirmed the Union-Tribune report Sunday night that Lamet suffered a strain but no structural damage.

“It looks like the flexor mass is where the issue is, but it’s minimal,” Green said.

What the Padres do for the duration of the right-hander’s time on the disabled list is yet to be determined.

“We have options,” Green said. “... We could look to the big-league guys that have been with us all the way. We can look to guys in the minor leagues that could show up at some point in time.”

The possibilities are almost limitless, including having Erlin or Jordan Lyles make two starts and then calling up Joey Lucchesi for his major league debut.

The reasoning behind such a move would be to put off the start of Lucchesi’s service time clock so he doesn’t get credit for a full season in 2018. That would be accomplished by waiting until the 17th day of the season.

The Padres could accomplish this due to an off-day on Easter Sunday. Richard, Perdomo, Ross and Bryan Mitchell could each pitch twice in the first eight games on normal rest, with a fifth starter not needed until April 7 in Houston.

No longer under consideration is veteran Chris Young, who was told Monday by General Manager A.J. Preller that he was not going to be on the major league roster. Young does not want to pitch in the minors.

“Hopefully he finds another job,’ said Green, who spoke with Young by phone. “There is still pitching left in him.”

The 38-year-old Young, an All-Star in 2007 with the Padres, pitched well enough in camp to be seriously considered as a long relief option. In the end, the Padres had other options already on their 40-man roster. Young had been in camp on a minor-league invite.

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“There’s a cost of having to add someone like Chris Young,” Green said. “He has to go on your 40-man roster, and somebody else has to come off. You don’t want to lose your young talent. We have lots of it.”

Erlin, who did not pitch last year following his surgery, is more likely to end up in the long relief role and make spot starts as needed this season. There will be something of an innings limit on him, as he works back to full strength.

Lyles is also a long relief candidate.

This won’t be the last of the roster gymnastics the Padres have to do, as Lamet’s injury could alter choices the team’s decision makers thought were set. They may choose to go with eight in the bullpen instead of seven. If so, that will affect the calls on how many position players to keep.

“Everything is interconnected,” Green said. “When you put together a 25-man roster, when you pull one string it unravels in some regards. Every single spot has an impact on another spot. Who we interject into the rotation will either give somebody another opportunity in the bullpen or change up our roster construction. It’s going to impact a lot.”

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Padres close out exhibition schedule with win over Chihuahuas

Kevin Acee

Score: Padres 8, Chihuahuas 6

Batter’s box: Hunter Renfroe hit his seventh in 66 spring at-bats. … Jose Pirela was 1-for-3 and finished the spring with a .381/.453/.600 line. … Freddy Galvis, acquired via trade and given a $6.8 million contract for a defense at shortstop, homered in the fourth inning. It was his third of the spring. …

Balls and strikes: Luis Perdomo allowed two runs on six hits in three innings. Two Chihuahuas reached on infield singles off Perdomo’s glove to start the third. He got out of it with a double play grounder and a grounder to second. He is scheduled to start Saturday against the Brewers. … The rest of the night was, ostensibly, a final audition for six relievers. … Adam Cimber, who has never pitched above Triple-A and came into the spring given almost no chance of making the Padres, allowed his first run in 10 spring innings. Didn’t matter. He has been told he made the team. … Jordan Lyles, in contention for a long relief spot, pitched a scoreless inning. … Left-handers Kyle McGrath and Buddy Baumann and righty Phil Maton each got through a scoreless inning. … Colten Brewer allowed three runs on four hits in his inning.

Extra bases: The Padres outrighted reliever Carter Capps to Triple-A, giving him time to work back to health and continue to refine his delivery. Capps, who was throwing in the high 90s prior to thoracic outlet surgery last September, has yet to regain his velocity. Said Green: “If he finds that, there’s hardly anybody in our bullpen with the ceiling he possesses.” … The Padres were thrown out stealing three times and at least that many times tried to take an extra base they almost certainly would not have in the regular season.

On Deck: The Padres have Tuesday off. They will work out at Petco Park on Wednesday. Opening day is Thursday. LHP Clayton Richard will face Brewers’ RHP Chase Anderson, 1:10 p.m.

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This is the Padres' projected Opening Day lineup

AJ Cassavell MLB.com

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Andy Green departed Padres camp in Peoria extremely pleased with the level of competition this spring -- the highest in his three years as manager. That, of course, also means Green leaves Peoria with some difficult decisions still to be made ahead of Thursday's opener against Milwaukee.

The Padres' roster crunch this spring is unlike any in Green's tenure. There are no Rule 5 picks to work around. There are fewer aging veterans with places already secure. For the most part, a handful of youngsters were given opportunities to compete this spring. And compete they did.

"It's been a really intense , and it's been very competitive," Green said. "I like that intensity a lot."

It comes on the heels of a busy offseason, in which the Padres signed first baseman to a franchise-record deal and traded for third baseman Chase Headley, shortstop Freddy Galvis and right-hander Bryan Mitchell.

Here's a breakdown of how things stand with the Padres entering the 2018 season.

Projected Opening Day lineup

1. Manuel Margot, CF 2. , RF 3. Eric Hosmer, 1B 4. Jose Pirela, LF 5. Chase Headley, 3B 6. Carlos Asuaje, 2B 7. Freddy Galvis, SS 8. Austin Hedges, C 9. Clayton Richard, P

Key roles

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• Margot is expected to serve as the Padres' leadoff man and table-setter this season. They'd like to see him reach base at a higher clip than his .313 mark last year. If he does, his elite speed will wreak havoc on the basepaths.ar. 22nd, 2018

• Pirela will spend the majority of his playing time in left field. But he could rotate to second base against some tough left-handers, getting the bat of righty-hitting Hunter Renfroe into the lineup.

• Fresh off an offseason contract extension, Brad Hand is again slated to serve as the Padres' . But he'll do so in a less-than-traditional role. Green said he wouldn't hesitate to use the lefty Hand in the seventh or eighth inning if it's dictated by the matchups.

Injury updates

• In his final spring start, right-hander Dinelson Lamet sustained a flexor strain in his right elbow and will begin the season on the DL. Initially, Lamet had been slated to start Game 2 of the season against Milwaukee. Tyson Ross, Robbie Erlin and rookie Joey Lucchesi are options to take his place.

• No. 10 prospect Franchy Cordero was destined for a prominent role in the Padres outfield, even as a backup. Instead, he was slowed by groin tightness at the end of camp and won't return to action for another week or two.

• The Padres haven't yet decided how to use lefty , who arrived via trade last July. Whether he's a starter or a reliever, his workload isn't built up enough for either role, and he'll begin the year on the DL.

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Lamet injury leaves Padres scrambling

AJ Cassavell MLB.com

Relatively speaking, the Padres received favorable news regarding Dinelson Lamet on Monday.

The 24-year-old right-hander was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his pitching elbow after leaving his Sunday start early. Lamet is expected to miss the season's first month, at least, but evaluations revealed no structural or ligament damage, the team said.

"It seems to be a lot better than we felt it was yesterday," said Padres skipper Andy Green. "We're going to continue to have him examined and make sure everything is as it should be. ... How severe? Don't know. It doesn't seem to be too severe."

In any case, the Padres have been left scrambling to fill Lamet's place in their starting rotation. He was initially slated to pitch on Friday, but will instead open the season on the disabled list.

Tyson Ross, Robbie Erlin and lefty prospect Joey Lucchesi are all options to fill that void. But you can cross one potential candidate off that list: Chris Young, a non-roster invitee to Padres camp this spring, who was informed that he wouldn't make the team.

Young, who posted a 7.53 ERA in six Cactus League appearances, had an opt-out structured into his contract if he were to be left off the Opening Day roster. The veteran right-hander chose not to accept an assignment to the Minors.

"Hopefully he finds himself another job, because there's still pitching left in him, I believe that," said Green. "He's one of those guys that can do whatever he wants in this game. He's built that reputation, and he deserves that respect. ... If he finds something, I'll be thrilled for him, and I'll be pulling for him, as long as he's not facing us."

Green explained that finding a place for Young would've been especially tricky, given 40- man roster constraints. That statement could be telling.ar. 6th, 2018

Currently, the Padres have one place available on their 40-man squad, and they could have three more if Alex Dickerson (UCL sprain), Allen Cordoba (concussion) and (lat strain) are placed on the 60-day DL, as expected.

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So who fills those four spots? Ross is an obvious candidate. Raffy Lopez and A.J. Ellis are likely to be added as well. That would leave one place available -- perhaps for Lucchesi and perhaps for sidearming righty reliever Adam Cimber, who has been dominant all spring.

"When you start getting into roster gymnastics and how you have to maneuver people, there's a cost of losing somebody to add a Chris Young," Green said.

It's still unclear who fills Lamet's spot against Milwaukee on Friday. But the Padres get a bit of a boost from their schedule. They wouldn't need a fifth starter until April 6 in Houston because of Sunday's scheduled off-day.

With that option in play, it's possible the club chooses to open the year with only four starters on its 25-man roster before adding a fifth next week.

Padres close spring slate

On to the regular season.

The Padres wrapped up their Spring Training schedule on Monday night with an 8-6 victory over their Triple-A affiliate in El Paso. Luis Perdomo, who is slated to pitch Saturday against Milwaukee, allowed two runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out three.

Hunter Renfroe, a virtual lock to make the team as the fourth outfielder, went 2-for-2 with a mammoth two-run homer in the fifth inning. Shortstop Freddy Galvis went deep as well.Mar. 26th, 2018

Second-base prospect Ruddy Giron went 3-for-3 and homered for the Chihuahuas, while right-hander Walker Lockett pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits. Before the game, Green touted the importance of the club's relationship with El Paso.

"This is as good, if not the best facility in Minor League Baseball," said Green. "It's a tremendous place for our players to play before they show up in San Diego. The partnership is strong."

Bullpen battle takes center stage

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Following Perdomo on Monday night was a procession of Padres relievers currently on the roster bubble. Green gave an inning apiece to six different pitchers -- all of whom are vying for the final three spots available in the bullpen.

Jordan Lyles, Kyle McGrath, Phil Maton and Buddy Baumann all tossed scoreless frames. Sidearmer Adam Cimber allowed his first run of the spring after 10 prior zeroes. Right- hander Colten Brewer, meanwhile, allowed three runs on four hits in the sixth.

Hoffman to throw Opening Day's first pitch

Legendary Padres closer Trevor Hoffman will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday's opener against Milwaukee at 1:10 p.m. PT. Hoffman was among four players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January.

San Diego native Jackie Foster, a contestant on "The Voice," will sing the national anthem, followed by a flyover featuring four F-18 Superhornets.

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Padres send reliever Capps to Triple-A

AJ Cassavell MLB.com

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Carter Capps' quest to sharpen his mechanics and regain his past dominance will continue in El Paso.

The 27-year-old righty cleared waivers, and the Padres outrighted him to Triple-A on Monday afternoon, removing him from their 40-man roster.

Capps' tenure with the Padres has been nothing short of a struggle. Acquired at the 2016 Trade Deadline as part of the deal that sent to Miami, Capps wouldn't return from Tommy John surgery until '17. When he did, he was forced to counter a newly instituted rule, which made his hop-step delivery illegal.

"Carter is as good a person and worker as you're ever going to come across," said Padres manager Andy Green. "He works incredibly hard. With the changes he was forced to make mechanically, it just hasn't synched up. As an organization we believe in him, and that's why we outrighted him and kept him in the organization. We believe he can find that."

With Capps off the roster, the Padres have space to add at least one non-roster player to their Opening Day squad. It's highly likely they add more than that, and they'd be able to clear further space by placing Alex Dickerson (UCL sprain), Allen Cordoba (concussion) and Colin Rea (lat strain) on the 60-day DL.

Capps spent most of the 2017 season pitching in the Minors, where he posted a 2.60 ERA over 26 outings. But he slumped to a 6.57 ERA in 11 appearances with the big league club. In 4 2/3 innings this spring, Capps allowed four runs on seven hits with four .. 15th, 2015

It's a stark contrast to the version of Capps that posted a 1.16 ERA over 31 innings for Miami in 2015. Then again, Capps' delivery has undergone a complete overhaul. The Padres are quick to point out that Capps is still evolving within his new mechanics.

"If he finds that, there's hardly anybody in our bullpen with the ceiling he possesses," Green said. "So we definitely wanted him as a part of our organization."

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Cordero tabbed as Padres' impact prospect

Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum MLB.com

Not every rookie will leave his mark on baseball like Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger did a year ago, but each club has a prospect or prospects who should crack its big league roster in 2018. Below are MLB Pipeline's choices for the rookies who will make the biggest impact on each team in the National League West.

Arizona: Taylor Clarke, RHP (No. 7 on D-backs' Top 30) Opening Day 2018: Triple-A Reno The D-backs might get help in the bullpen from arms like Jimmie Sherfy or Jared Miller, but if a spot in the rotation needs to be filled, Clarke could be the one to step in. While he doesn't have eye-popping stuff, he does have a four-pitch mix that he knows how to use well, something he's shown in climbing the ladder and being among the organizational leaders in ERA, strikeouts and wins two years in a row.

Colorado: Ryan McMahon, 1B/2B/3B (No. 2 on Rockies' Top 30; No. 41 on Top 100) Opening Day 2018: Rockies While Colorado's decision to re-sign Carlos Gonzalez may push Ian Desmond to first base and obstruct McMahon's path to an everyday role, the rookie might be the best hitter of that trio. After encountering adversity for the first time with a down year in Double-A in 2016, he fixed his left-handed swing and finished second in the Minors in hitting (.355/.403/.583). McMahon should hit for both average and power and also is capable of backing up third base (his natural position, albeit one where he's blocked by Nolan Arenado) and second base. A 2013 second-rounder who played quarterback as a California high schooler, he could be the next Rockies passer-turned-slugger, a tradition that includes Todd Helton and Matt Holliday. ar. 19th, 2018 Los Angeles: Walker Buehler, RHP (No. 1 on Dodgers' Top 30; No. 12 on Top 100) Opening Day 2018: Triple-A Oklahoma City Buehler had Tommy John surgery shortly after signing as a 2015 first-rounder from Vanderbilt, then pitched just five pro innings in 2016. Fully recovered last season, he rocketed from high in April to Los Angeles in September, showing better stuff than he had before his elbow was reconstructed: a 95-100 mph fastball, along with more powerful versions of his and slider. Once he learns to harness his improved

16 arsenal, he eventually should settle in as the Dodgers' No. 2 starter behind Clayton Kershaw, though he'll open 2018 in Triple-A. So will talented outfielder Alex Verdugo, who's also ready but similarly blocked by veterans for now. ar. 16th, 2018

San Diego: Franchy Cordero, OF (No. 10 on Padres' Top 30) Opening Day 2018: Disabled list (groin injury) That Cordero led the Minors with 18 triples while also tallying 17 home runs and 21 doubles last season speaks to his athleticism and tools as well as his overall capacity to make things happen at the plate. He followed that by garnering MVP honors this offseason in the Dominican Winter League, and then slashed .343/.465/.714 in 43 plate appearances in the Cactus League before suffering a groin injury that will sideline him at the outset of 2018.

San Francisco: Steven Duggar, OF (No. 3 on Giants' Top 30) Opening Day 2018: TBD, S.F. or Triple-A Sacramento Club officials acknowledge that Duggar is their center fielder of the future, and that future could come as early as Opening Day because he has outperformed his veteran competition during Cactus League play. He had some of the best all-around tools among college position players in the 2015 Draft, yet lasted until the sixth round because they didn't always translate into production at Clemson -- something that hasn't been an issue in pro ball. He now demonstrates solid or better ability across the board with the exception of his merely decent power, and he's well suited to cover ground at spacious AT&T Park.

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Padres Make Roster Moves Injuries and non-roster invitees forcing changes ahead of Opening Day By Derek Togerson

The Padres have a few large decisions to make on their Opening Day roster. But the ripple effect for this year’s team goes well beyond the 25 guys they keep for the first game of the season.

Let’s go through this one step at a time. First, the timely news …

Dinelson Lamet, who was slated to be the number two starter, is going on the disabled list as the team tries to figure out what’s causing pain in his pitching elbow. It looks like he’ll be out until at least May so that opens a spot in the starting rotation.

38-year-old Chris Young, who was trying to return for a second stint in San Diego, will not be in that mix. It’s looking like Robbie Erlin or Tyson Ross will fill Lamet’s spot in the rotation for at least the first few weeks of the season.

Ross is another starting hoping for another successful San Diego stretch. Although it’s not officially official he is going to have a place in the rotation, either as the 2nd, 4th or 5th guy in the progression (Clayton Richard is the Opening Day guy and Luis Perdomo is the 3rd starter). But Ross being on the team leads us to the roster dilemma.

As a non-roster invitee to Spring Training he is not currently on the 40-man roster, which is the group of players that are eligible to be on the active 25-man roster. That means they have to remove someone to make room for Ross and on Monday they did just that, sending reliever Carter Capps outright to Triple-A El Paso.

The Padres are going to have to make another move on their 40-man roster because the final two guys in the mix at backup , A.J. Ellis and Raffy Lopez, are both non- roster additions. If they decide to add promising prospect Joey Lucchesi or Eric Lauer to the big league rotation they’ll have to free up yet another spot on the 40-man.

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The most likely ways of doing this are playing a few of their injured players on the 60- day disabled list, which temporarily takes them off the 40-man roster. Starting pitcher Colin Rea and outfielder Alex Dickerson are both possibilities for that.

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East Village Block Party to Celebrate Padres Opening Weekend The annual block party goes down March 30 and March 31 in downtown San Diego’s East Village, near Petco Park By Andrew Johnson and Monica Garske

As the swing into their opening weekend at the end of this month, Friars fans can celebrate the start of baseball season with a two-day block party near the ballpark.

The East Village Association (EVA) will host its 8th annual Opening Weekend Block Party on March 30 and March 31, a free community festival on J Street, between 6th and 10th avenues near Petco Park. The block party runs from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

The all-ages event features food and drink vendors lining the streets of the East Village, plus an interactive game zone and live music from Caliber. Basically, it’s the ultimate tailgate party among baseball fans.

The March 31 round of the party is dubbed “Pet Saturday,” as festivities that day include a pet expo and “Four-Legged Fan Fashion Show” at 2:30 p.m. Saturday’s fun also includes a free, 18+ boxing class presented by The Boxing Club at 12:15 p.m.

Parking downtown will be at a premium, so it may be a good idea to take public transit to the East Village. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) typically ramps up service for Padres Opening Weekend; check the MTS websitefor updates on that.

The Padres take on the at Petco Park on March 29, March 30 and March 31. Tickets start at $16.

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Andy’s Address, 3/27 Andy Addresses final roster decisions, the value of veteran leadership

By Bill Center

The Padres were off Tuesday, so Padres manager Andy Green did not have a session with the media.

But with the final cuts still to be made, we’re revisiting some of Andy’s recent thoughts on roster decisions and the value of veteran leadership.

“The final decisions are very difficult,” Green said recently. “You genuinely do value what each guy brings to the table. One guy brings experience and savvy and a competitive mindset that you want your other guys to have. Another guy brings youth and future and possibilities.”

“To put a good team together, you balance that out. You don’t go just all one way, you balance it out. You have future possibilities with some of those young guys, but you understand that those veteran guys are going to impact them in positive ways and also stabilize them and give us an opportunity to win baseball games. It’s definitely a difficult time for a staff and a front office.”

“There’s split camps on a lot of guys right now and rightfully so. That’s a very fair thing to say because there are a lot of guys who are doing things as well as other guys. Some guys will go one way, other guys will go the other way. It will be a tough next week.”

Speaking of veteran leadership, Green said you can’t down-play what it meant to the younger Padres to have the likes of veterans Eric Hosmer, Chase Headley, A.J. Ellis, Clayton Richard and Chris Young (who departed the Padres Monday) in camp.

“We value how the veterans have been an influence on the younger players,” said Green. “The way Chris Young does it, he’s not preaching it, he’s living it. You can get coaches to preach it. You can’t get coaches to live it. You can’t get coaches to go on a back field and show you what the game is supposed to look like. You can tell them. But when he shows it

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and then we tell them, that marries up in their head and they figure it out, they figure it out quicker.”

“The way A.J. Ellis goes through his day, the way he competes, the life he brings to the ballpark, the way after he pops up to the second baseman yesterday he comes in immediately and wants to know about the next pitcher coming into the game and what he can do to help them. That’s living it. And that’s what you value as a coaching staff from those types of guys.”

“Hosmer lives it every day in the way he approaches every day on the baseball field. Those are great examples. Those are high-quality, high-character guys. Chase Headley is the same way. We value their impact. You learn better from your peers. It’s always been that way. You want to pretend that it’s not when you are sitting in my seat, but the reality is that it’s a lot easier to learn from them.”

“As soon as I call somebody in, they feel threatened. They feel something is off, something is wrong, which isn’t always the case. You want to give them a piece of wisdom. Sometimes it’s a lot easier to hand that wisdom to another player and say, ‘Hey, can you talk to him about this.’ If the player never realize you’re impacting him that way, fine by me. As long as the message gets across.”

Green said it’s unlikely that the Padres will start the season with four outfielders, but he said they could keep catchers.

“There’s always going to be the opportunity to give Austin (Hedges) a rest from time to time,” said Green. “I’d love to see him get to the 130-game mark, but I also want to see him fresh and playing well. If we have two other options, I’m good with that. No problems.”

Green has repeatedly discussed the spring Franchy Cordero was having before he was sidelined with a groin injury that will keep the outfielder with making the Opening Day roster.

“Franchy did not come along as fast as we’d wished,” said Green. “He was firmly in the mix to be on the Major League club out of camp. He was doing everything he possibly could. And honestly, we didn’t call him up in September last year . . . we challenged him to go play winter ball and play it well and he was the Dominican Winter League MVP.” 22

“Now he’s one of the best players in the Cactus League this spring. There’s always more to prove in the Major Leagues than the minor leagues, but sometimes opportunities and injuries force more time in the minor leagues. He was squarely in the mix. Now we hope he heals fast.”

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#PadresOnDeck: Mason Thompson a Right-Hander to Watch By Bill Center

Ceiling is a word you hear a lot before any baseball draft.

It was certainly a word tossed around in 2016 when the Padres selected right-handed pitcher Mason Thompson out of Round Rock (Tex.) High.

Although he had already had “Tommy John” elbow reconstruction surgery as a high school junior, Thompson was high on a lot of lists. He had committed to the University of Texas.

But the Padres convinced the 6-foot-7, 186-pound Thompson to turn pro after drafting him in the third round with the 86th overall pick. Scouting reports listed the Padres selection of Thompson being one of the more interesting picks of the draft. “Could be a bonanza selection,” said one report.

The MLB Pipeline agrees, ranking Thompson the 25th-best prospect in the Padres system although he didn’t turn 20 until Feb. 20 and has pitched in 12 professional games starting late last summer.

Thompson debuted last summer in the Arizona Rookie League and had a 2.25 in five starts, allowing three runs on eight hits and five walks with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings.

He finished the season with Single-A Fort Wayne, where he had a 4.67 ERA in seven starts while three years young than the average age for a player in the . He allowed 23 hits and 12 walks with 28 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Thompson will be playing his first full season in 2018.

Scouts like the way Thompson uses his height to create downward movement with his mid- 90s fastball.

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