Padres are pushing Sung-Mun Song into an uncomfortable experiment with big upside

Spring training is usually where teams pretend roles are neat and orderly. Starters start, bench guys bench, and everybody nods along like the season won’t immediately smash those plans into dust.

They signed Sung-Mun Song to be a “useful” player — and now they’re turning that word into a full-on job description. The real experiment is what A.J. Cassavell laid out: San Diego is about to start giving Song work at shortstop and left field, two places he basically hasn’t lived (he hasn’t played short since middle school and doesn’t recall playing the outfield at all). 

Padres’ bench battle gets tense as Sung-Mun Song takes on SS and LF

That’s uncomfortable. But it’s also the point. Because the Padres Song to be an answer. Craig Stammen has been open about wanting the DH spot to function like a revolving door — a way to keep regulars in the lineup while getting them off their feet. That’s a great idea… until you realize it only works if your bench can cover real defense without turning every rest day into a five-run tax.

If he can credibly bounce between second, third, short, and even left, he becomes the roster’s pressure-release valve. Manny Machado gets a breather without San Diego punting the infield. Jake Cronenworth slides around without the whole alignment wobbling. Xander Bogaerts gets a DH day without the Padres needing a prayer.  In a perfect world, that flexibility buys the Padres an extra reliever, a better pinch-runner, or just one more competent bat.

The bat matters too. Song is coming off back-to-back KBO seasons with an OPS north of .900, and the Padres are hoping the lefty stick can hold up against right-handed pitching. But the sneaky truth is this: he doesn’t need to mash like a star. He needs to hit enough that the glove experiment is worth the discomfort.

This is a roster built on stars and stress. Song is being asked to become the calm.