3 Padres players who should be left off the NLDS roster

The stage is set for this year's National League Division Series to be one for the ages. The San Diego Padres advanced past the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night and have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Friars will travel to Chavez Ravine with Game 1 of the NLDS set to begin on Saturday in LA.

As was the case during the NL Wild Card Series, the Padres will be limited to just 26 players. Seeing as how San Diego dispatched of Atlanta with relative ease, it seems likely that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and manager Mike Shildt will be leery of shaking things up too much.

But in a best-of-five series, some more hurlers may be necessary. The Padres took 12 pitchers into their previous series, but may need add an extra one ahead of the NLDS. There's also an unfortunate injury that may well dictate who joins the active roster and who's left off. Which three Padres players should be left off San Diego's NLDS roster?

Joe Musgrove, Padres pitcher

Let's get this one out of the way first, shall we? If Joe Musgrove is 100% healthy, then he belongs on the Padres NLDS roster. But if there's an inkling that Musgrove has even the slightest ailment that will keep him from performing at his best against the Dodgers, he needs to be left off the roster.

Musgrove exited Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series with what's being called right elbow tightness. After battling elbow issues earlier this season, there's no need to risk long-term injury. Furthermore, if Musgrove isn't fully healthy, he's a detriment to the team.

While some of the Friar faithful might think that Musgrove at 75% is better than any other starter Shildt could select to pitch, that's just not true. With a stable of Michael King, Martín Perez, Yu Darvish, and Dylan Cease, the Padres have the horses to win the NLDS without Musgrove in the lineup.

Matt Waldron, Padres pitcher

If Musgrove is unlikely to pitch in the NLDS, his replacement cannot be Matt Waldron. The knuckleballer's act was cute for a couple months, but hitters began to tattoo Waldron by midseason, and he as eventually sent back to the minor leagues. Waldron made a start near the end of the regular season, but gave up four runs on eight hits in just four innings of work.

Given the way the upcoming schedule is laid out, Shildt should be able to send Cease to the hill for Game 1 and Game 5 if necessary. Cease is toeing the rubber on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, and with Game 5 not scheduled until the following Friday, Cease will be well rested in an all-hands-on-deck situation.

Nick Ahmed, Padres infielder

If the Padres add an additional pitcher to the roster (which they should), then one of the 14 position players who was on the NL Wild Card Series roster will have to go. Shildt never made any substitutions during the previous series, so it's difficult to judge who might be left off. But it's likely a coin flip between Nick Ahmed and Tyler Wade.

Ahmed arguably gives you the better glove, but Wade hits from the left side. Neither player's bat is hit carrying tool, but the fact that Wade hits from the left side might be just enough to help him sneak onto the roster. Wade also offers more positional versatility, while Ahmed is strictly a middle infielder.

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