Padres' AJ Preller Reveals Confidence Level in Craig Stammen After First Half

The San Diego Padres have not had the season they envisioned for themselves through the first half of the 2026 season.

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller certainly didn't build this team to be .500 and third place in the National League West in mid-July.

Nonetheless, that's where the Padres stand, and while they aren't in the best spot, Preller still believes in manager Craig Stammen.

Prior to the All-Star break, Preller spoke with reporters on a video call and discussed the state of the team and what he thought of Stammen's first half as a manager at any level.

“Overall, for Craig, he’s done a lot of really good things in terms of his process, the way he goes about things with his staff,” Preller said. “He’ll be the first to tell you that, from a win-loss standpoint, he’d love to do better. I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not a perfect roster he has, that ultimately we’ve had a lot of injuries like a lot of teams do. ...

“The biggest thing with Craig — and why he’s good at what he does, why he was a good player, why he’s going to continue to grow as a manager — is that he’s open to learning and growing.”

It's been tough for Stammen in his first season in San Diego. He's been tasked with guiding an injury-riddled Padres pitching rotation and a struggling offense.

The offense is at the bottom or near the bottom in major offensive categories like batting average (last), OPS (last) and home runs (21st).

Still, Preller and the Padres brass remain high on Stammen.

“We hired him for a reason,” Preller said. “We believe in what he brings to the table. He’s been in this organization for a long time. We’re very familiar with him. And again, I’m expecting this team to play well in the second half with him leading the group.”

At this point last season, the Padres were 52-44 and on the verge of acquiring All-Star closer Mason Miller. Now, the Friars are trying to avoid a polar opposite deadline that could see them be forced to sell — and Miller's name keeps coming up in trade rumors.

San Diego sits with a 48-48 record at the All-Star break. The Padres are just 5-10 over their last 15 games, but got two big wins heading into the break.

The first few weeks out of the break will be crucial for San Diego's season. It will be up to Stammen to get his players ready for this stretch run.

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