Padres: Five players who could be cut when rosters trim

Jake Cronenworth was looking like a sure roster cut prior to Eric Hosmer’s injured list stint. Which Padres could be on the outside looking in?

As part of MLB’s return-to-play plan, rosters were initially set at 30 players, reducing to 28 players after two weeks, and then to 26 weeks after four weeks. And while rosters will no longer reduce to 26 players anymore, the Padres will have to make a couple of difficult decisions ahead of Thursday’s roster deadline.

Before Eric Hosmer landed on the 10-day injured list, the seldom-used Jake Cronenworth appeared to be a lock to among those cut; however, he’s filled in well at first base. And when Hosmer comes off the IL, it’s entirely plausible that Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar platoon second base in some fashion.

Cronenworth was part of the Tommy Pham trade with the Tampa Bay Rays last December, and while Pham has already provided a spark for the Padres offense, the team wasn’t sure what they had in the two-player. Pitching won’t be an option. Manager Jayce Tingler already made that clear, but the universal DH allows some flexibility when Hosmer is activated.

Especially given Francisco Mejia’s lack of offense, there’s no justification to have both he and (Austin) Hedges in the lineup. Still, ahead of Thursday’s deadline, these five players could be on the outside looking in.

1. Ty France

Where does Ty France fit long-term with the Padres? Unless a trade is made, he’s likely to garner minimal playing time. He was slotted in at first base on Saturday but had a tumultuous time fielding the ball. He was eventually replaced by Josh Naylor in the eighth inning in the Padres blowout loss.

The 26-year-old went 2-for-5 in the Padres 12-7 victory in San Francisco last week, but he’s done little to convince regular playing time.

2. Abraham Almonte

Abraham Almonte‘s story is a personal favorite, and I was happy to see him get promoted to the team’s player pool. However, the Padres already have a plethora of players in the outfield that need regular playing. He made his first start against the Dodgers on Monday night, going 1-for-3 with a walk.

He got the nod again on Tuesday night, in the DH role. But with Pham-Grisham-Myers from left to right in the outfield, and Edward Olivares needing time as well, Almonte is a good bet to be cut.