3 players on the San Diego Padres Opening Day roster who won't finish on it
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We're only two weeks into the season, but it's hard to stop yourself from looking ahead, especially if you're a San Diego Padres fan. Adam Engel, David Dahl, Joe Musgrove, Drew Pomeranz, Robert Suarez, and Adrian Morejon are all on the Injured List right now. And who can forget Fernando Tatis Jr. nearing his return?
Players who began the season on the Opening Day roster should be looking over their shoulders because the Padres are getting closer and closer to full strength. Once players do start to return, they'll have to replace players on the current roster.
Which three players who were fortunate enough to begin the season on the Padres Opening Day roster will not finish the year on it?
1. Rougned Odor will not finish the 2023 season on the San Diego Padres roster
The Padres signed Rougned Odor this past offseason to a minor league deal. The veteran won a job with the Padres but, with the way he's played combined with the fact that Tatis is less than one week away from finally returning, it feels like the writing is on the wall.
Odor has just two hits in his first 20 at-bats of the season. He's played some right field, but that spot will belong to Tatis when he returns.
Brandon Dixon might be the one to go down when Tatis returns, but when Engel and Dahl return, it's hard to see Odor lasting the entire season. He's looked awful at the plate and hasn't looked great offensively since 2019 when he clubbed 30 homers.
It's nice to see Odor provide a bit of versatility, but the Padres roster is loaded enough to the point where they won't have a spot for this veteran when they're healthy.
![Feb 23, 2023; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Domingo Tapia poses for a portrait during](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/133/01gy0ntgj4gktr7j31wb.jpg)
2. Domingo Tapia will not finish the 2023 season on the Padres roster
The Padres have a ton of pitching on the IL and with them only having three relievers with options, Domingo Tapia feels like an obvious one to go down when the team is healthy. The only other bullpen arms who can be sent down without being DFA'd are Steven Wilson and Tim Hill. I don't see either happening.
The Padres signed Tapia to a minor league deal this offseason. He made the Opening Day roster thanks to the bevy of injuries the team has sustained. He is a hard thrower whose average fastball velocity is at 96.8 mph this season which ranks in the 92nd percentile according to Baseball Savant, but he doesn't have much else going for him. He's made just 55 MLB appearances across his four years of experience and has a career ERA of 4.40. Not awful, but San Diego can do better.
This season, Tapia has struck out nine batters in 6.1 innings pitched which is a good number, but he's walked three and has allowed three runs. He's arguably the lowest leverage arm they have right now, and again, with him having an option left it makes him easy to send down.
Tapia will likely be one of those relievers that gets shuttled back and forth between AAA and the bigs as much as possible. He'll make his appearances, but once the Padres get their arms back, he won't be needed.
![San Diego Padres pitcher Brent Honeywell Jr.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/133/01gy0nxhk621zby4tect.jpg)
3. Brent Honeywell Jr. will not finish the 2023 season on the Padres roster
Brent Honeywell Jr. was at one point in time a highly touted prospect but injuries have derailed his career. He's made the transition from starter to reliever and will hopefully stay healthy.
The Padres took a chance on the right-handed in a move that required no risk with chance for some sort of reward.
Honeywell has looked pretty good to begin this season, allowing two runs in 8.1 innings pitched, but has very little MLB experience and history suggests his body won't hold up for the entire 162-game season. Honeywell's only MLB experience came in April of 2021 when he made three appearances (two starts) for Tampa Bay and threw 4.1 innings.
Honeywell does have the fact that he's out of options going for him, but I just don't see who the Padres remove from their roster once their arms come back from the Injured List instead of him.
Joe Musgrove, Adrian Morejon, Robert Suarez, and Drew Pomeranz will all need roster spots at some point this season. It's hard to see Honeywell outlasting four other Padres arms unless there're other injuries which is something that is impossible to predict.
Having too much depth is a good problem to have, and will be one the Padres stumble into eventually. Once this does happen, Honeywell is bound to be a roster casualty. It's possible he clears waivers, and it's also possible a team claims him and he latches on in a bullpen elsewhere.
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