Padres Place Jake Cronenworth on Injured List, Demote Pitcher in Massive Roster Move

The San Diego Padres made a major roster move ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Francisco Giants.

Half of it was expected, the other half comes as a surprise.

The Padres activated left-handed pitcher Yuki Matsui off the injured list as expected, as he completed his rehab assignment and needed to be added to the roster by Tuesday. To make room on the active roster, left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart was optioned to Triple-A.

As for the less expected part of the move, the Padres placed infielder Jake Cronenworth on the 7-day concussion injured list and recalled utility man Sung-Mun Song from Triple-A.

While there were reports from a Korean news outlet that Song was getting called up on Tuesday, the corresponding move was unclear. A Cronenworth injury is the unfortunate answer.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/YLmAH9MWBw
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 5, 2026

What is Jake Cronenworth's Injury?

The Padres said Cronenworth is dealing with concussion symptoms, which will keep him out for at least the next week. The cause for those symptoms is currently unclear, but manager Craig Stammen will provide more information when he speaks to the media ahead of Tuesday's game.

Cronenworth is in the midst of a brutal start to the season, hitting .144 with one home run, four runs batted in and an OPS of .468. He recently opened up about his struggles to the San Diego Union-Tribue.

“It’s obviously not the start I want,” Cronenworth said. “It’s been really frustrating. I don’t think I’ve put in a better work of offseason going into spring training. Same thing in spring training, and for this to be the start that I have is obviously really frustrating for me.

"But I think at the end of the day, I can trust in the process. It’s been really, really hard, and I’ve stayed here late after games to hit in the cage. I’ve gotten here at noon to hit early. Hasn’t been easy, but it’s one of those things you never hope it happens, but come out stronger on the other side.”

Sung-Mun Song Set to Make Stateside MLB Debut

As for Song, he made his MLB debut after being called up as the 27th man for the Mexico City Series. However, after only entering the second game as a pinch runner, he was optioned back to Triple-A.

Overall, Song has played in 25 games at Triple-A, slashing .293/.364/.354 with one home run, 15 runs batted in and an OPS of .718. Part of that was on his rehab assignment, as he opened the season on the injured list after injuring his oblique in spring training.

He joined the Padres on a four-year, $15 million this offseason after spending nine seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization. He's a natural second baseman, making him a seamless replacement for Cronenworth.

Padres Activate Yuki Matsui, Option Kyle Hart

As for the other part of the move, Matsui is officially back after opening the season on the injured list due to a groin strain.

Matsui has appeared in 125 games over the last two seasons for the Padres, sporting a 3.86 ERA with 130 strikeouts over 126 innings of work. He made 11 appearances on his rehab assignment, sporting a 4.97 ERA with 14 strikeouts to three walks across 12.2 innings.

As for Hart, he's struggled at the big league level this season, sporting a 5.40 ERA with 10 strikeouts to six walks over 16.2 innings. The Padres have relied on him to go multiple innings in five of his 12 appearances. Seven of his 10 earned runs have come in those multi-inning outings.

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