One Player Padres Must DFA If They're Serious About Making Playoff Push

It's time to end the experiment.

It's time for the San Diego Padres to cut their losses.

It's time to designate Griffin Canning for assignment.

When the Padres signed Canning to a one-year, $2.5 million deal this offseason, it looked to be a potential steal.

While Canning was coming off a ruptured Achilles, prior to the injury, he was enjoying a career season with the New York Mets.

Across 16 starts last year, Canning went 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA. He seemed to finally be reaching his potential as a former second-round pick and top prospect for the Los Angeles Angels.

So, the Padres were excited about the proposition of adding him to the rotation in May. Unfortunately, after one good start — five innings of one-run ball against the Chicago White Sox — it's been a disaster.

Canning made his 15th appearance of the season on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. It was his fourth time being used behind an opener as the Padres search for any way to get him going.

Unfortunately, it was another wasted outing.

Canning gave up a home run to the first batter he faced — Michael Harris II — to lead off the second inning after Kyle Hart pitched a 1-2-3 first. Then, after a perfect third inning, things came unraveled in the fourth.

Canning allowed a leadoff home run to Ozzie Albies to cut the Padres' lead to 3-2. Then, a one-out single by Harris and Mauricio Dubon reaching on catcher's interference put two on before he struck out Austin Riley.

With two on and two out, No. 7 hitter Dominic Smith crushed a three-run home run to flip the game on its head. After allowing a single to the next batter, Canning was removed from the game.

Dominic Smith hammers a 3-run homer and the @Braves take the lead! pic.twitter.com/dkwr70Vfx3
— MLB (@MLB) July 23, 2026

His final line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER (5 R), 59 pitches.

Canning now has a 7.11 ERA across 62 innings this season. He's 1-8 and is in position for his ninth loss of the season.

He was given a 3-0 lead to work with against the ace of the Braves in Chris Sale in what was a must-win game for the Padres to salvage the four-game series. He couldn't even record nine outs.

The Padres entered Thursday's game at 50-52, three games back of the final wild-card spot in the National League. With the trade deadline just 10 days away, it's now or never for the team to prove they're worth buying for.

Outings like the one Canning put together won't instill any confidence in president of baseball operations AJ Preller to buy.

And if the Padres are serious about making a postseason push, they can't keep throwing Canning out there every fifth day.

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