Padres add a forgotten ex-Rangers bat as the bench picture tightens

Lost in the shuffle of re-signing Michael King (and adding KBO star Sung-mun Song) has been the San Diego Padres' pointed work in aggressively adding to the organization's depth this offseason.

After struggling to fill the spots of various injured, tired or underperforming regulars in 2025 — Jose Iglesias was the only reserve to make it through the entire season with the team — A.J. Preller and the front office have chosen to focus a lot of their efforts on building out a well-rounded cast of backups in 2026.

Sure, some of that may be due to necessity (i.e., budget constraints), but it's been impressive nonetheless. Kyle Hart, Triston McKenzie, and Sean Boyle were all signed as quality insurance for the pitching staff, and former Top-100 prospect José Miranda highlights the position player contingent added to San Diego's ranks.

That work continues even in the doldrums of January, as the Padres have added former Texas Rangers standout Nick Solak on a minor-league deal.

Padres add high-upside bench option Nick Solak with invite to spring training

Solak, 31, comes equipped with 259 games and nearly 1,000 plate appearances of MLB experience, mostly with the Rangers back in 2020 and 2021. Between those two seasons, the infielder (primarily a second baseman) hit .250/.318/.357 with 43 extra-base hits, good for an 86 OPS+.

A second-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2016 out of Louisville, Solak has bounced around the league in recent years, spending time in the organizations of the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Since the Rangers cut him loose in 2022, he's seen only 11 at-bats worth of MLB action, though he did have a a .332/.411/.492 slash line with 14 homers with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate last season.

The current Padres bench features Luis Campusano as the de facto backup catcher (and designated hitter option), Will Wagner as a utility infielder, and Bryce Johnson as the fourth outfielder. Mason McCoy (capable shortstop) and Tirso Ornelas (hard-hitting outfielder) are also on the 40-man roster and could factor into the equation, though there's certainly a chance that Solak could beat one of them out for a spot on the pine.

Besides Solak, the Friars also added old friend Omar Cruz and right-handed pitcher Justin Yeager to the fold as minor-league signings with a non-roster invite to spring training. With the bench and low-leverage side of the bullpen unsettled, there's legitimate room for one more of the team's minor-league signing to crack the Opening Day roster.