Padres' $15 Million Addition to Open Season on Injured List

San Diego Padres infielder Sung-Mun Song is going to open the 2026 season on the injured list.

Song suffered a right oblique injury early in spring camp, which was the same oblique he injured in the offseason.

Manager Craig Stammen provided the latest update on Song, revealing he didn't compete in enough Cactus League games in order to be ready for Opening Day.

“Good progression for him,” Stammen said. “He’s going to start the season on the IL. We weren’t able to get him in enough games to feel comfortable with throwing him in that Opening Day roster. But he’ll go down to El Paso, get some rehab games in, and then it shouldn’t be too long before he’s back at Petco [Park].”

Song will be with the team for Opening Day festivites, but will then head to El Paso for the start of the Triple-A season, where he’ll get work at all different spots.

His timeline to return appears to be mid-April, which means he shouldn't be sidelined for very long as he is already playing in games.

Sung-Mun Song Poised to be Padres' Super Utility Man

The Padres signed the former KBO infielder to a four-year, $15 million deal in the offseason with the intention of having him be the team's super utility man.

Wherever the Padres needed some depth, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller envisioned Song occupying thta role.

The 29-year-old has experience playing all over the diamond, primarily at second and third base. The Padres want Song to have the ability to play at shortstop as well as in the outfield, but they couldn't evaluate him for long as he suffered an injury.

Nevertheless, Song is poised to be the Padres' utility man for the foreseeable future. Stammen knows just how valuable a player like Song is for a championship caliber team.

"Any player that can provide versatility is a valuable player in the big leagues,” Stammen said this spring. “A lot of the teams that end up getting to the World Series, winning the World Series, they have parts that are moveable. You saw it with the Dodgers last year with how they used Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman, moving them all over the field.

"We see him as being able to do that — to play third base, second base, maybe some first base, maybe some outfield.”

The bad news for San Diego is the Padres won't have Song to start the year, but he will be a key factor in their success for a majority of the season and hopefully into the postseason as versatility on the roster evidently gets teams far in October.

As of now, the Friars don't have a versatile option off the bench, as Ty France is trying out other infield positions outside of first base and Nick Castellanos is trying to play first base while maintaining his normal outfield. Thus, the team will have to make do without Song for the time being, but it appears his return is just a few weeks away.