Padres Notes: Walker Buehler Roster Decision Made, 7 Players Released, NRI Hints at Major News

The San Diego Padres lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3, on Friday evening in the first of two split squad games. Their second contest had the same outcome as they lost to the Colorado Rockies, 9-3, in Peoria, Ariz. and moved to 14-13-1 over the course of spring.

Right-hander Nick Pivetta struggled in what was his final start of spring training, allowing eight hits and four earned runs to the Rockies over the course of four innings.

During the games, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Walker Buehler has made the team ahead of his looming March 21 opt out date. He will be one of the starters in the rotation to open the season.

In other news, as Opening Day quickly approaches (with Game No. 1 of the 2026 season at home against the Detroit Tigers on March 26), the Friars have released seven players from the organization. One of these players was a former top prospect — cracking No. 17 in the MLB Pipeline rankings in 2022 — but the right-handed pitcher hasn't lived up to expectations.

Conversely, a non-roster invite hinted at a major decision as the Opening Day roster continues to take shape. His contract included an opt-out clause, which would likely be used if he doesn't make the team — and assuming he has a spot in the clubhouse at the season's start, it will remain untouched.

Finally, as if the challenge of facing two-time Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal to kick off the season wasn't enough of a tall task, Padres presumed Opening Day starter Nick Pivetta was the subject of some concise criticism from a rival scout on Friday.

Pivetta is coming off what was far and away the best season of his professional career. He notched career marks with a 2.87 ERA, 5.3 bWAR and a 13-5 record across 181.2 innings of work in 2025, but the anonymous talent evaluator challenged the 33-year-old Canadian with a little under a week to go before the season begins.

Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

Padres Officially Release 7 Players From Organization, Including Former Top Prospect

Padres Non-Roster Invite Hints at Major Announcement

Rival Scout Takes 6-Word Shot at Padres' Nick Pivetta Ahead of Season

What Padres' AJ Preller Is Telling Us — Without Saying It

Former Padres Outfielder Dies at 84

Biggest Unresolved Concern for the Padres Before Opening Day

Padres Have Clear Answer for Who Should Be Leadoff Hitter in Lineup

Padres Tweets of the Day

Set your status to out of office, you’ve got plans.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 20, 2026

It's Morphin' Time pic.twitter.com/qpU7AukpXw
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 21, 2026

Padres Opening Day starting Left Fielders since 2015:

2015: Justin Upton
2016: B.J. Upton
2017: Travis Jankowski
2018: José Pirela
2019: Wil Myers
2020: Tommy Pham
2021–22: Jurickson Profar
2023: Juan Soto
2024: Jurickson Profar
2025: Brandon Lockridge
2026 (projected): Ramón… pic.twitter.com/QBeg4b59HQ
— SleeperPadres (@SleeperPadres) March 20, 2026