San Diego

Padres

Leclerc made just 10 relief appearances for the Athletics before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery last August. The 32-year-old veteran reliever has plenty of high-leverage experience from his closing days with the Rangers and represents a worthwhile low-risk gamble for the Padres on the chance that he’s able to contribute later this season.

Merrill smacked a leadoff double off of Framber Valdez to start the second inning, but never advanced past there. He then reached on an infield single in the fourth but was ultimately cut down at the plate on a fielder’s choice. The 22-year-old outfielder then walked in the sixth inning, advanced to second on a pickoff error and scored on Ramon Laureano’s RBI double. It was a nice bounceback for Merrill after going hitless in the Padres’ opener on Thursday.

King racked up six strikeouts on the evening while also issuing four free passes. He allowed just one hit in the contest — a leadoff single to Zach McKinstry in the fourth inning — and he was erased on a double play. King started the sixth inning by issuing a walk to Gleyber Torres before turning the ball over to the bullpen and he ultimately scored after an error extended the inning. He generated 14 swings and misses on 82 pitches on the night, registering a strong CSW of 33 percent. He’ll try once again to get in the win column when he takes on the Red Sox in Boston on Friday.

The Padres went with lefty Gavin Sheets at first base and Miguel Andujar at DH against Tarik Skubal on Thursday. Tonight, they’re switching to Ty France at first base and sticking with Andujar against Framber Valdez. It’s definitely not good looking for Castellanos, who flew out in his lone at-bat off the bench Thursday. The Padres have no financial obligation to him beyond paying him the MLB minimum, and with all being defensively limited right-handers, it just wouldn’t make much sense to keep all three of Andujar, Castellanos and France around for the long haul.

Laureano tagged Tigers’ right-hander Drew Anderson for a 423-foot (106.0 mph EV) solo shot in the seventh inning of this one, pulling the Padres to within six runs at 8-2. He also struck out and filed out to left against Tarik Skubal. It appears as though the 31-year-old outfielder has picked right up where his tremendous 2025 season finished.

Pivetta also issued three free passes on the day while striking out four. The Tigers got to him for four runs in the opening inning, as Pivetta walked Spencer Torkelson with the bases loaded before allowing a two-run double to Kevin McGonigle and a run-scoring knock to Dillon Dingler. He then served up a two-run blast to Dingler in the third. Pivetta got 11 whiffs on 69 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll try to put this one behind him and get back on track when he does battle against the Giants on Wednesday.

It’s not a complete surprise, but it is confirmation that Andujar, not Castellanos, will begin the season as the primary designated hitter. Andujar hit just .220/.305/.420 in spring, but he did have three home runs and a manageable strikeout rate. He’s a career .282 hitter in 467 MLB games and could have some deep league fantasy value if he’s going to hit in the middle of the Padres’ lineup. The rest of the Opening Day lineup is: Fernando Tatis RF, Xander Bogaerts SS, Manny Machado 3B, Jackson Merrill CF, Miguel Andujar DH, Gavin Sheets 1B, Ramon Laureano LF, Freddy Fermin C, and Jake Cronenworth 2B.

Buehler was torched for four homers in his final spring training outing but still managed to secure a spot in San Diego’s season-opening rotation. The 31-year-old former fantasy ace can be safely ignored in most fantasy formats based on his underwhelming performance between the Phillies and Red Sox last year.

France will open the season on San Diego’s bench after making the club as a non-roster invitee this spring. The 31-year-old hit .257 with seven homers and 52 RBI over 490 plate appearances between the Blue Jays and Twins last year.

As expected, Song hits the injured list after aggravating an oblique strain earlier this month. The 29-year-old is expected to occupy a versatile multi-position role in his San Diego debut this season.