Padres Cut Ties With Veteran, Announce Sudden Change to Starting Pitcher, Fernando Tatis Out vs Rangers

The San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers are gearing up for a rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday.

The Rangers took a wild series opener, 9-7, and the Padres responded with a come-from-behind 6-4 win on Saturday.

Now, the teams will look to take the series, with the Padres traveling back home after the game to prepare for a matchup with the Atlanta Braves.

Padres DFA Nick Solak, Reinstate Miguel Andujar

The Padres made a roster move ahead of Sunday's game, reinstating infielder Miguel Andujar off the injured list and designating infielder/outfielder Nick Solak for assignment.

We have reinstated INF/DH Miguel Andujar from the 10-day IL and designated INF/OF Nick Solak for assignment.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 21, 2026

Andujar hasn't played since June 10, and hasn't started a game since June 7 as he dealt with a hamstring injury.

Across 54 games this season, Andujar is hitting .254 with five home runs, 17 RBIs and an OPS of .706.

As for the corresponding move, Solak has been designated for assignment after appearing in just four games with San Diego, going 1-for-10 (.143).

The Padres initially signed Solak in January on a minor league deal. The former second-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2016 has played for five teams at the MLB level over parts of seven seasons.

He's a career .249 hitter with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and an OPS of .692. He's played for the Rangers, Braves, Detroit Tigers. Pittsburgh Pirates and now Padres.

Padres vs Rangers Pitching Matchup on Sunday

Right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito will pitch for the Padres on Sunday. He won't be the starter, though.

Hours before first pitch, the Padres announced left-handed pitcher Wandy Peralta will be the starter for Sunday's game.

The Padres are going with the same strategy as they did in Giolito's last start, with Peralta opening ahead of him. Peralta has a 1.96 ERA across 36.1 innings this season.

LHP Wandy Peralta will start today’s game vs. the Texas Rangers.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 21, 2026

As for Giolito, he has a 4.56 ERA across 25.2 innings. Behind Peralta in his last outing, he completed five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.

Right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi will be starting for the Rangers.

He was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday with knee soreness, but ended up being pushed back just one day.

He's 6-7 with a 4.23 ERA across 87.1 innings this year, striking out 83 while walking 21.

Padres Starting Lineup

Samad Taylor, RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Gavin Sheets, LF
Will Wagner, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Ty France, 1B
Sung-Mun Song, 2B
Rodolfo Durán, C

Fernando Tatis Jr. is out of the lineup, getting his first day off since May 3.

Taylor has taken his spot as the leadoff hitter, while Wagner is getting a start at DH and Song at second base.

How to Watch Padres vs Rangers on Father's Day

First pitch for San Diego Padres vs. Texas Rangers on Sunday, June 21 is 11:35 a.m. PT/2:35 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app.

The Padres announced that games will also be available via cable on the following channels:

Cox (Channel 83)
DirecTV (Channel 694-3)
AT&T Uverse (Channel 781 or 1781)
Spectrum (Channel 305 or 443)

Games will be broadcast on the radio on 97.3 The Fan (in English) and XEMO 860 (in Spanish).

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