3 Padres players facing make-or-break seasons heading into 2026

The San Diego Padres are more than eager to come back for the 2026 season in style. This club has one goal, and that is to win a World Series. The Friars fell well-short of attaining that goal, but Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller is already on the case to make improvements where necessary.

With this in mind, that means several players could be teetering whether they belong on the roster or not, or if they deserve consistent playing time or not. These three Padres need strong spring training efforts in 2026, plus serviceable starts to the regular season when called upon. The 2026 campaign is going to be a make-or-break year for Luis Campusano, Ron Marinaccio, and Gavin Sheets - but all for different reasons.

Luis Campusano

This upcoming season is going to be put up or shut up time for Campusano, which breaks the hearts of fans to even say. Entering his age-27 season, Campusano still has not figured it out in the big leagues. However, he's completely tearing it up in the minor leagues, and even broke a franchise record with Triple-A El Paso.

However, does Campusano want to be a career minor leaguer? Probably not, but if he doesn't light his spring training numbers on fire, then he will probably not sniff Petco Park again. And if that's the case, he is either going to remain in Triple-A, or get cast off to another team that probably doesn't want him on an MLB roster, either. He was 0-for-21 with 11 strikeouts this past season with the Padres, and fans simply want to see him succeed on the big stage. But time is running out.

Ron Marinaccio

It was a tumultuous 2025 season for Ron Marinaccio. Following a trade from the White Sox to the Padres, he was sent up and down from Triple-A to the majors a few times. But unlike Campusano, he took advantage of the opportunities presented to him. A fastball-heavy reliever, Marinaccio did not allow a single hit when throwing his four-seam last year, as he showed signs of excellence in his 10.2 innings with San Diego. He allowed one total run with 12 strikeouts. Not bad.

So what does this mean for Marinaccio in 2026? Well, if he continues pitching this way, the Padres might be forced to keep him in the bullpen in the big leagues. With Jason Adam potentially still on the shelf to start the year, Mason Miller potentially moving to the starting rotation, and Robert Suarez likely to shop around this offseason, there is room for Marinaccio on the team if he keeps it up. But if he falters, then the Padres may not feel as inclined to consistently give him reps. Regardless, he should still be viewed as an MLB-ready reliever. It's just a matter of whether or not he will appear in 40-50 games, or less than 10.

Gavin Sheets

Posting career-best numbers in home runs (19), RBIs (71), hits (124), and doubles (28) this past season, Gavin Sheets was regarded as one of the top hitters on the Padres at a certain point in 2025. He provided a spark to a team that needed offensive production when guys like Jackson Merrill and Luis Arraez were hurt, and Sheets delivered in the first-half of the year.

Unfortunately for Sheets, he struggled a bit too much in September. Trying to fight for playing time, Sheets handed in a .167 batting average in the final month of the season, which dipped his season average by 16 points. It was just one iffy month, but it was enough to raise some flags as to whether Sheets can be relied on to play every day for a World Series hopeful. The big question surrounding Sheets in 2026 will be whether he can continue performing after a breakout season, or if he will revert back to the player he was with the White Sox.