San Diego Padres Roster
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The San Diego Padres have optioned right-hander Randy Vasquez to Triple-A El Paso to begin the 2024 regular season. Vasquez was acquired from the New York Yankees over the winter in the blockbuster trade involving outfielder Juan Soto, and he came to San Diego in competition for the final starting rotation spot. However, a poor spring showing (6.23 ERA with five walks and nine strikeouts in 8 2/3 Cactus League innings) sealed his fate. The 25-year-old will begin the year down on the farm, but the Friars will surely need him to make starts at some point at the big-league level this year given SD's questionable rotation depth. Vasquez could become an option for fantasy managers in NL-only leagues this year, but he has a low ceiling in mixed leagues as a streamer.
San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored, and a walk in Thursday's 15-11 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, closing the two-game Seoul Series on a high note after going 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 5-2 defeat. Tatis drove one in on fielding error by Max Muncy during the third inning, bringing Jackson Merrill around to plate a run and give the Friars an early 8-2 lead. Following Juan Soto's offseason departure, San Diego is certainly going lean more on the dynamic Tatis as the engine of their offense in 2024. Across 27 at-bats in spring training, the 25-year-old All-Star hit .259 with a .767 OPS, one home run, five RBI, and one stolen base and will look to pick up steam in March 28's home opener versus the division-rival San Francisco Giants. In 13 games against the Giants last season, he slashed .276/.300/.517 with three homers, five doubles, five RBI, and 10 runs scored.
San Diego Padres right-hander Robert Suarez picked up his first save of the 2024 season in Korea on Thursday in the team's 15-11 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Suarez picked up the save by recording four outs. The 33-year-old gave up one hit and struck out two batters to earn his first save of the year. The hit he allowed in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed the Dodgers to score a run, but he threw a perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning to lock it down. The Padres never officially named Suarez as their closer in spring training, but he was also the most likely candidate for save chances for the Friars despite the offseason addition of left-hander Yuki Matsui. The fact that Suarez got the team's first save opportunity of 2024 is evidence that he's the Padres' closer for now.
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado went 1-for-4 with two runs, two walks and a three-run homer in Thursday's victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the second straight game that the veteran has been the designated hitter with Tyler Wade drawing the start at third base. Machado hit .370 in the Cactus League this spring, but didn't have a homer. Not much for managers to worry as just two games and he's shown why he is one of the best in the business. The 31-year-old's .258 batting average in 2023 was his lowest since hitting .256 in 2019, but he stayed the course in the power department with 30 homers and 91 RBI. Machado is hitting cleanup in a strong Padres lineup this season and should continue to provide plenty of value out of the hot corner for managers in 2024, especially with an ADP of 42.
San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth went 4-for-4 with four RBI and a triple in Thursday's victory versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also scored two runs on the day. Cronenworth is coming off a down season in 2023 that saw him hit his fewest home runs (10) since his debut in 2020 and his lowest batting average of .229. Despite a rough 2023, Cronenworth is back at it at first base for the Padres and has been in the third spot for San Diego. He is in the perfect spot of the lineup in between Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado and should see plenty of pitches to hit this upcoming season. After just one rocky season, his ADP dropped 287 and he could be a bargain at the value in deeper leagues.