{"id":18922,"date":"2026-04-25T10:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T17:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=18922"},"modified":"2026-04-25T10:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T17:26:07","slug":"the-padres-first-month-into-the-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2026\/04\/25\/the-padres-first-month-into-the-2026-season\/","title":{"rendered":"The Padres First Month Into The 2026 Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is about a month in, and within that short span, many shifts have taken place league-wide. The San Diego Padres<\/a> are no exception.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re fresh off a series victory against the Colorado Rockies<\/a> at Coors Field, and are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> for the best record in the NL West at 17\u20138. In the meantime, it\u2019s worthwhile to analyze the notable changes the club made just a few weeks into the regular season and where they could go from here.<\/p>\n

The Starting Rotation<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the Padres’ starting rotation was already rough around the edges before the regular season even began. The club auditioned several possible new rotation pieces this spring to replace notable offseason losses like Yu Darvish<\/a><\/strong> and Dylan Cease<\/strong><\/a>. In the end, Walker Buehler<\/strong><\/a> and German Marquez<\/strong><\/a> were the chosen few.<\/p>\n

That said, a new name has entered the picture for the Friars. Former Red Sock, Lucas Giolito<\/a><\/strong>, signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Padres this week with an option for 2027. The signing is a no-brainer. The Padres have desperately needed rotation depth, especially after losing their ace Nick Pivetta<\/strong><\/a> less than a month into the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to imagine why Giolito went unsigned going into the 2026 season. He\u2019s a career 4.30 ERA pitcher with 14.5 bWAR to his name. In 2025, with the Boston Red Sox<\/a>, he went 10\u20134 in 26 starts to the tune of a 3.41 ERA, striking out 121 across 145 innings. Since his UCL surgery in 2024, Giolito has remained very healthy as well.<\/p>\n

Of course, given that he\u2019s missed some quality time in the majors, Giolito will spend some time in the minor leagues building himself back up. How long that will take is mostly dependent on Giolito himself; however, his contract dictates that he will be added to the major league roster within 25 days of his signing.<\/p>\n

As for other potential additions to the Padres rotation, Joe Musgrove<\/strong><\/a> and Griffin Canning<\/strong><\/a> remain busy with rehabbing their injuries. Musgrove has not returned to the mound since his exhibition start against Great Britain during Spring Training. Meanwhile, Canning will require a few more rehab starts before he gets back to the majors.<\/p>\n

Despite how things may seem, the Padres’ pitching staff is 26th in the majors in runs allowed and eighth in strikeouts. There are a few more pieces may finally make this jigsaw puzzle fall into place.<\/p>\n

Mason Miller<\/h4>\n

Of course, it would be criminal to highlight the Padres’ pitching staff without mentioning Mason Miller<\/strong><\/a>. Acquired at last year’s trade deadline, the deal seemed almost ridiculous at the time paid off in dividends for the Friars. Mason Miller is the most electric pitcher in Major League Baseball. He hasn\u2019t allowed any runs since August 6, 2025, and tied the Padres franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings. A record not broken since 2006.<\/p>\n

Since the start of the season, Miller has shut the door on 11 games, earning a save in nine of them and a win on another. As of now, Miller is posting a negative FIP of -0.75. Admittedly, this is out of a relatively small sample size. Remember, the Padres are still in the first month of the 2026 season. However, there is no current indication that Miller is trending downward anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Padres Lineup<\/h4>\n

Something relatively fresh about Craig Stammens’ approach to management is his willingness to shift around the Padres’ batting order. To begin the year, the Padres endured a tough start, going 2\u20134 in their opening homestand.<\/p>\n

Stammen initially experimented with allowing Fernando Tatis Jr.<\/strong><\/a> and Jake Cronenworth<\/strong><\/a> to bat leadoff. The next set of players more or less played out the same way they did last year. Xander Bogaerts<\/strong><\/a> bats second, then Jackson Merill<\/strong><\/a> and Manny Machado<\/a> <\/strong>behind him. On paper, this should work, but the Padres were very quickly recreating the offensive woes of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Something clearly had to change. In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, that change came from Ramon Laureano<\/strong><\/a>. He’s another trade deadline acquisition and is also paying off well. In the first month of the 2026 season, Laurano slashed .264\/.320\/.484 with four homers and 17 RBI across 91 at-bats for the Padres. Due to his performance, Laureano became the everyday leadoff man, jump-starting the Padres’ formerly weak offensive production.<\/p>\n

However, he hasn\u2019t done this alone. Xander Bogaerts, Gavin Sheets<\/a>, <\/strong>Miguel Andujar<\/strong><\/a> and Luis Campusano<\/strong><\/a> have all contributed to the lineup and run production for the squad.<\/p>\n

Campusano, in particular, did a complete 180 offensively. He went from a literal .000 batting average last season to a .333 hitter in roughly the same amount of time. Right now, Campusano leads the Padres in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. Granted, this is a much smaller sample size than the rest of the squad. Campy shares catching duties with Freddy Fermin<\/strong><\/a>. In any case, it’s merely gratifying seeing Campy return to form after not having much of a chance last year.<\/p>\n

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth<\/h4>\n

Only two everyday starters for the Padres have yet to hit a home run. In both cases, it\u2019s a little surprising.<\/p>\n

For both men, it’s the longest home run drought they’ve had to start a season. That said, it’s not time to hit the panic button quite yet. As stated previously, the Padres are only a month into the 2026 season. Both players began their careers around the same time and have certainly had more than enough time to refine their approach to the plate.<\/p>\n

For most pitchers, facing Cronenworth is an absolute nightmare, not just because of his offensive capabilities but because of how well he can see the ball. For the past two years, Cronenworth has ranked amongst the best in the league at pitches per plate appearance, peaking at seventh overall amongst qualified players in 2025.<\/p>\n

His approach in 2026 seems to be no different, and at the moment, it could just be a bit of bad luck to start the season.<\/p>\n

As for Tatis Jr., his situation may be a little more involved. It\u2019s become increasingly apparent that he may not quite recreate the breakout start he had to his career. However, that level of production is not completely necessary to be a functional member of the team.<\/p>\n

New Hitting Coach<\/h4>\n

The Padres\u2019 new hitting coach, Steven Souza Jr.<\/strong><\/a>, emphasized his intention to bring power back into the Padres’ bats. That said, he also underlines the importance of situational batting. The Padres’ decision not to re-sign Luis Arraez<\/strong><\/a> may not have been an organizational choice but a philosophical one. In any case, Tatis Jr. recently spoke at length about the support and help he received from Arraez while they were teammates.<\/p>\n

This doesn’t mean we are going to see Tatis Jr. becoming a contact hitter anytime soon. Despite his lack of slug, he is still batting .250 with an OBP of .327. He is still hitting the ball very hard; in fact, he leads the league in hard hit percentage and is amongst the top in velocity. Right now, it’s likely he just needs some more time before he settles back in.<\/p>\n

On The Horizon<\/h4>\n

The Padres play the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> in Mexico City at the Estadio Alfredo Harp Hel\u00fa on April 26\u201327. The probable starters for game one are German Marquez and Zac Gallen, respectively.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>