Padres Announce Wild Card Roster

The Padres won 89 games, qualifying for the playoffs in a 162-game season for the first time since 2006. Even in the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr., who didn’t play this year on account of a wrist fracture and subsequent PED suspension, the Friars boast a star-studded roster. San Diego doubled down with arguably the biggest deadline blockbuster in MLB history, one they hope can help propel past a 101-win Mets team on the road.

Right-Handed Pitchers

• Yu Darvish (Game 1 starter)
• Luis Garcia
• Josh Hader
• Pierce Johnson
• Nick Martinez
• Joe Musgrove
• Robert Suarez
• Steven Wilson

Left-Handed Pitchers

• Tim Hill
• Sean Manaea
• Adrian Morejon
• Blake Snell (Game 2 starter)

Catchers

• Jorge Alfaro
• Luis Campusano
• Austin Nola

Infielders

• Josh Bell
• Jake Cronenworth
• Brandon Dixon
• Brandon Drury
• Ha-Seong Kim
• Manny Machado
• Wil Myers

Outfielders

• Jose Azocar
• Trent Grisham
• Jurickson Profar
• Juan Soto

There aren’t many surprises on the Padres roster. September call-up Dixon cracks the team as a right-handed bench bat after a monstrous season in the upper minors. The rest of San Diego’s roster decisions are fairly straightforward. There was never much doubt about the rest of the Friars position players being part of the club. Soto and Bell were brought in from the Nationals in a huge deadline swap, while San Diego also added Drury and Hader in separate deals at the start of August.

On the pitching side, San Diego will be without Mike Clevinger for the first series. The righty has been on the injured list with an illness for the past few days. While he passed a COVID-19 test yesterday and traveled to Queens, the club will keep him off the roster for this set. Darvish and Snell will get the ball for the first two games, with Musgrove seeming all but assured to start a Game 3 if that proves necessary.