The San Diego Padres appear to be at rock bottom for the 2026 season. Losing eight games after their one victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their home series that began on June 26, the organization is on the brink of being sellers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Their only other win over these last 10 games was Sunday, salvaging the last game in the four-game series in Los Angeles over the holiday weekend.
With the combination of poor performance in all aspects of their game and injuries that have devastated the roster, the Padres no longer resemble a team suitable for the playoffs. They played the Chicago Cubs to the most lopsided loss in team history, a 23-3 score that highlighted a horrendous trip to the windy and hot city.
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Pitching problems
The pitching has been bad to inconsistent, and the offense has improved, but not enough.
The organization, and baseball at large, knew that the starting pitching needed to get lucky to be enough. With the loss, early in the season, of Nick Pivetta, the Friars had to resort to signing a pitcher in free agency who no one else seemed to want. Late signee, Lucas Giolito, has been a disaster.
The reclamation projects the team signed before the season, Germán Márquez and Walker Buehler, have been both better and worse than expected. Buehler has risen to the challenge and battled back to respectability. Márquez is largely ineffective and was placed on the injured list after his shaky start to the season. He is now back with the team as a reliever, and maybe just a mop-up man.
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The offense, late-inning heroes to start the season, has misfired ever since. Injuries have forced the team to bring up multiple minor league players from Triple-A El Paso for extended work in the major league lineup. Outside the fire provided by left fielder Samad Taylor, none have given the team any useful help.
Starters Michael King and Buehler have had the best performances, but both have been inconsistent. Neither can be depended on to be the stopper the team needs.
The bullpen, the strength of the team at the start of the season, has faltered with the staggering performance of their teammates.
There isn’t a lot to be optimistic about at this point
There are increased rumblings among fans about the lack of experience with the manager and several members of his coaching staff. Having inexperienced coaches, with the team floundering, brings up questions about the ability of the coaching staff to pull the team out of its freefall.
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The All-Star break is coming up. The trade deadline follows within a couple weeks. If the team can’t turn this around, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller might not have any choice but to sell off some players to acquire pieces for the future.
It will be up to the players currently on the roster to determine the future of this season for the Padres. There is no help available elsewhere in the organization. The only pitcher that can be promoted to take the place of the injured Randy Vásquez is righty Jhony Brito. He is building up after his return from UCL surgery and looks to be the last option to join the major league rotation or bullpen.
Bad luck, injuries, poor offense, and bad pitching appear to have doomed this team for this season. Any recovery will be left to the players who have dug this hole.
Kudos for Rudolfo Durán
Backup catcher Rudolfo Durán deserves a mention for his efforts to save the bullpen during the Padres’ losing streak. In the 23-3 loss to the Cubs on July 1, Duran pitched in mop-up for two innings after serving the same role on June 27 in the 15-3 loss to the Dodgers. His three innings, allowing nine earned runs, saved at least two bullpen arms for other games.
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Roster moves and injury updates
Reliever Jason Adam went on the injured list on July 3 with a right shoulder strain. He was replaced on the roster by Márquez, who started his rehab with El Paso as a starter but was used as a reliever before being activated by the Padres.
Vásquez, who started the season well but has been largely ineffective in his last eight starts, was placed on the injured list after being hit by a batted ball on his right ankle during his last start. X-rays showed no fracture, but he fainted while walking for testing and was taken to the hospital. He is listed as having an ankle contusion. Reliever Alek Jacob was brought up to fill his roster spot.
Catcher Freddy Fermin was removed from the game July 2 after being hit directly on his face mask by a foul tip. It is the second time he has been placed on the IL after direct hits behind the plate. Luis Campusano was activated after only three rehab appearances with El Paso. He spent almost two months on the IL with a fractured toe and an oblique strain.
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Jake Cronenworth returned to the team on June 29 after almost eight weeks on the injured list with a concussion and its complications. He also only had three rehab appearances before being pressed into service for the Padres. Infielder Will Wagner was sent to El Paso when Cronenworth was activated.
Both Joe Musgrove and Pivetta are progressing in their throwing programs. Neither has a timeline.
Giolito has not begun any rehab work and there has been no timeline discussed for his return.
Matt Waldron is at Triple-A for his rehab and last threw four innings on July 1. He allowed eight hits and a run with a strikeout and has a week-and-a-half left in his rehab window before a decision has to be made about his position.
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There has been no update on Jeremiah Estrada’s timeline. He has not begun a rehab assignment after being on the injured list for right knee inflammation.
Editor’s Note: This article was written and submitted prior to the start of the series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
