LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 11: Manager Bob Melvin #3 of the San Diego Padres fist bumps members of his team before the game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Padres will be opening their 2023 season on Thursday with a slightly later start than they expected. Rain pushed the start time back from 1:10 pm to 6:40 pm. The delay is not going to damped the spirit of the Friar Faithful.
On Thursday morning San Diego officially named their Opening Day roster. It's split down the middle with 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Here's the full list:
Right-Handed Pitchers (9): Nabil Crismatt, Yu Darvish, Luis García, Brent Honeywell, Seth Lugo, Nick Martinez, Domingo Tapia, Michael Wacha, Steven Wilson
Left-Handed Pitchers (4): Josh Hader, Tim Hill, Blake Snell, Ryan Weathers
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Catchers (2): Luis Campusano, Austin Nola
Infielders (7): Xander Bogaerts, Matt Carpenter, Jake Cronenworth, Nelson Cruz, Ha-Seong Kim, Manny Machado, Rougned Odor
Outfielders (4): José Azocar, David Dahl, Trent Grisham, Juan Soto
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Several players will start the season on the Injured List. Outfielder Adam Engel is on the 10-day IL with a hamstring issue while the quarter of pitchers Joe Musgrove (toe), Robert Suarez (elbow) Drew Pomeranz (elbow), and Jose Castillo (shoulder) are all on the 15-day IL. All of them are expected to return before the end of April.
Honeywell was expected to fight for a spot as either a starter or a long relief option and earned his way onto his first Opening Day roster as the latter. Tapia has pitched for four teams in three years but never been in the big leagues on Opening Day. He earned a roster spot with a solid Cactus League showing, striking out 11 hitters with no walks in 8.0 innings.
Darvish will miss the first trip through the rotation as he continues to build up after being pushed back helping Japan win the World Baseball Classic. After Snell, Martinez, Wacha, and Lugo it will be Ryan Weathers as the 5th starter. The former 1st round pick struggled in 2022 but revamped his delivery in the off-season and threw well enough to get at least one start as Darvish progresses and Musgrove heals.
So, how is this group going to do in 2023? Read about their prospects for the season here.
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