Padres' Craig Stammen Wants Players to Be Mad at Him for One Reason

The San Diego Padres enter this week with the second-best record in Major League Baseball. They're just a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the No. 1 spot.

The team has been one of the biggest early-season surprises under first-year manager Craig Stammen. His unconventional approaches have seemed to work thus far.

One of those unconventional approaches is how often he's keeping starters out of the lineup and shuffling his bench. The Padres didn't repeat a lineup until their 19th game of the season. Every regular has received at least one day off this season.

That's not only kept his bench players involved, but it's kept his everyday players healthy and fresh. Stamen knows it comes with a potential downside, though.

“If we’re doing it right, they’re going to be mad that they’re not playing,” Stammen said of his players this weekend. “I think that’s a good thing. Those guys are competitive. They want the at-bats. They want to be playing. They want to play every day. … We’re trying to keep their best interest in mind. And hopefully at the end of the season, they do feel fresh and they’re at their peak performance.”

One of those players is outfielder Ramón Laureano, who has been the team's best hitter all season and asserted himself as the everyday leadoff hitter.

With that being said, he's already had three days off this season just 22 games into the season.

While Laureano may not agree with it, as he's a competitor who wants to help the team win every day, he seems to be OK with his manager's decision.

“I don’t know what they’re doing, but whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it,” Laureano said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I just show up every day. … It is interesting. But I don’t want to ask. Something tells me that they’re just looking out for me.”

Laureano appeared in a career-high 132 games last season between the Padres and Baltimore Orioles. He'd only played in over 100 games two other times — 123 games in 2019 and 105 games in 2023 — in his eight years entering this season.

Thus, Stammen is choosing to take extra care of him, as he is with the rest of his players.

Manny Machado didn't take a true day off until Sept. 14 of last season. This year, he took one — or was forced to take one — on April 8.

“Gotta get our third baseman a few days,” Stammen said at the time of the decision to rest Machado. “He’s getting a little older. He’s still a spring chicken, but I think these days, hopefully, add up in August, September, and we get the same Manny we get the whole season.”

Whether the players like it or not, the results speak for themselves. The Padres are one of baseball's best teams, and will only be able to stay that way if their best players remain healthy.

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