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

Less than a week before Opening Day, the San Diego Padres have a clear answer for who should be their leadoff hitter this season.

Manager Craig Stammen has experimented with the lineup all spring as he planned to use different versions of the batting order all season.

“My goal is to be flexible with it,” Stammen said of the lineup ahead of camp. “Some people say you should be able to turn out the same batting order every day. That limits you when you really do need to make a change.”

The obvious choice for the leadoff hitter was always Fernando Tatis Jr., who spent all but five of his starts last season at the top of the order. Choosing Tatis to leadoff in 2026 made sense, especially since he's spent most of his career atop the order and is coming off a stint with Team Dominican Republic where he was the No. 1 hitter.

But Stammen looked elsewhere for the answer.

He initially experimented with shortstop Xander Bogaerts at the top of the lineup. Bogaerts went 2-for-12 (.167) with an OPS of .481 in five Cactus League games before leaving to join Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

Bogaerts thrives when he is hitting in the middle of the order and he's shown that this spring. And so, Stammen once again looked elsewhere.

Jake Cronenworth then took over the leadoff spot, with Stammen confident he's found his No. 1 hitter against right-handed pitching.

“Croney has had a great spring training, and he’s looked really good at the top of the lineup when we’ve had him in there against right-handed pitching,” Stammen said. “So we’ll see how that looks with everybody in the lineup. Five days to kind of shake it out and see what we’ve got before the lineup actually counts.”

In the Padres' 13-6 win over the Chicago White Sox Thursday night, Cronenworth hit a bases-clearing double to give the team a three-run lead in the eighth inning.

The infielder has put together an impressive spring, hitting .378 with a 1.045 OPS.

Croney clears the bases! pic.twitter.com/yc1Kq0arpL
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 20, 2026

Cronenworth should be the everyday leadoff hitter to open the season against right-handed pitching. He's a tough at-bat, and can put some stress on the starting pitcher before having to face Tatis, Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado, in no particular order.

Here's what the lineup could look like against right-handed pitching:

Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Nick Castellanos, DH
Ramón Laureano, LF
Freddy Fermin, C

Who Should the Padres Have as Leadoff Hitter Against Lefties?

The Padres have seemingly found their leadoff hitter against righties with Cronenworth, but there's still some uncertainty surrounding the batting order against left-handed starters.

Perhaps Stammen will use Tatis as the leadoff hitter against lefties exclusively. The team will have more pop in the bottom of the lineup as Miguel Andujar figures to get at-bats against a southpaw.

Against lefties in 2025, the veteran hit .389 with a .986 OPS across 93 plate appearances. Thus, Andujar will likely be the team's designated hitter against lefties, giving them the opportunity to have Tatis take up his usual No. 1 spot.

The lineup could look something like this against left-handed pitching:

Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Ramón Laureano, LF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Miguel Andujar, DH
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Nick Castellanos, 1B
Freddy Fermin, C

The Padres found their leadoff hitter in Cronenworth against right-handers, but it remains unclear who will be atop the order for matchups against lefties. As Opening Day quickly approaches, fans will get an answer soon.