Brandon Lockridge Makes Padres Roste

Outfielder has made the Padres Opening Day roster, per . He will seemingly be the clubs fourth and final bench player, as it was reported yesterday that veterans , and will be selected to take the three other spots. As noted by Ca savell, a spot going to Lockridge will have domino effects for the six other players left in camp: , , , , and . The first three of that group have options and seem likely to be sent to Triple-A. Gonzalez is on a minor league deal and can also be sent to the minors, though Ca savell notes that he does have an opt-out at some point during the season. As for Wade and Rosario, they cannot be optioned and seem likely to be either traded or designated for a signment in the coming days. That would open up two of the three spots needed on the 40-man for Gurriel, Iglesias and Maldonado. Lockridge, 28, made his major league debut last year. He only got sent up to the plate 12 times and produced a rough line of .167/.167/.417 in that small sample. Naturally, his minor league production has been better, with a combined line of .278/.357/.417 in the minors over the past four years. He also stole 122 bases in that stretch, including 46 in just 104 games last year. Defensively, he has plenty of experience in all three outfield spots. That makes him a solid guy for the bench, as he can serve as a pinch runner and defensive substitution. As a right-handed hitter, he could perhaps platoon with in left field at times. Wade, 30, has generally served as a light-hitting utility player during his career. He has a .217/.291/.289 batting line over eight seasons, production which translates to a 64 wRC+. But he has been able to steal some bases and bounce around Silvio De Sousa Jersey the diamond, lining up at every position except first base and the battery. He has just over five years of major league service time. The Padres tendered him a contract at the end of last year, avoiding arbitration with a deal that includes a $900K salary this year and a club option for 2026. The club presumably planned on having him back a multi-positional bench guy but they pivoted to Iglesias when he was unsigned in the beginning of March, so Wade will apparently be nudged out. A suming the club designates him for a signment and puts him on waivers, any club could claim if they were willing to take on that salary. However, since he has at least five years of service, he has the right to elect free agency and keep that money if he clears waivers. At that point, clubs would be free to sign him for the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with the Padres still on the hook for the rest. Rosario, 25, has appeared in the past three major league seasons but has received a total of just 100 plate appearances with the Padres in those. His .245/.283/.500 line is pretty good but top heavy, as he has five home runs but a 4% walk rate and 34% strikeout rate. That hasnt really been a problem in the minors. Over the past four years, he has drawn walks in 10.9% of his plate appearances on the farm while getting punched out just 20.9% of the time. He has a combined .279/.363/.493 line in that time for a 115 wRC+. Defensively, he has played all four infield positions in addition to some corner outfield work. Its a decent profile overall. had him ranked as the #11 prospect in the system as of July. gave him the #19 spot going into this season. Though hes out of options, he will probably hold appeal for other clubs. He has between one and two years of service time, meaning he could be retained through the 2029 season if he sticks somewhere else. Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images Ben Edwards Jersey