Padres spring training roster cut tracker: Who will make Opening Day roster?

Unlike most teams around the league that have pitchers and catchers report next week, the San Diego Padres camp officially opens up this weekend in preparation for the upcoming Seoul series. Some players have already reported and will continue to arrive early, but full squad workouts begin on Feb. 16.

With the merciful arrival of spring training, the Padres have a lot of roster questions they need to answer. The losses of Juan Soto and Trent Grisham this offseason means the outfield is going to look completely different, the bullpen was given an overhaul, and it is unclear what the Padres rotation will be after Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, and Seth Lugo walked after the 2023 season.

San Diego has a lot of options to address these roster questions, but there are definitely more players than slots available to fill, and the Padres may not be done making moves in the lead up to Opening Day. That means fans can expect to see a lot of roster movement this spring training.

Padres spring training roster cut tracker: Who will make Opening Day roster?

There are some certainties when it comes to the Padres' roster. Manny Machado isn't going anywhere and neither is Fernando Tatis Jr. Given their lack of starting pitching, Yu Darvish is also a lock to stick around, barring the unforeseen. However, the scope of San Diego's roster decisions means that a lot of prospects, non-roster invitees, and questionable 40-man inclusions are going to get a chance to prove themselves, and a lot of them are going to be eventually be sent over to minor league camp at some point this spring (or be given some fond farewells altogether).

It isn't just the big league roster that could be impacted this spring. We often see the 40-man roster reshaped during spring training, as teams realize they need different guys (preferably with minor-league options) available early in the spring, at the expense of other guys' jobs. There are, of course, cases where a guy shows up, completely tanks, and gets cut relatively early on to give him a chance to catch on elsewhere.

All of the Padres' spring training roster cuts of all flavors will be noted below as they happen. What will be interesting to watch is who San Diego carries deep into spring training, as that will be the first big clue as to who is actually in the running for an Opening Day roster spot. This post will be updated as moves happen, so bookmark this page and stay tuned.

February 28th - Padres send 10 minor leaguers back to MiLB camp

No huge surprises here as the vast majority of the players that were sent over had virtually no chance of making the Opening Day with Kevin Kopps being the most notable name of the bunch.

March 3rd - Padres trim 11 more players from the spring training roster

This wave of cuts was significantly more substantial than the first round. Top prospect Ethan Salas was sent back over to minor league camp to get more playing time and the Padres' rotation competition got some clarity as Robby Snelling and Jairo Iriarte were also sent over to minor league camp.