Padres Have Made Shocking Decision for Final Opening Day Position Player Roster Spot

The San Diego Padres have made their decision on the final Opening Day roster spot — and it's a bit of a surprise.

Outfielder Brandon Lockridge has been informed that he's made the team, and will take the final bench spot.

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Four players who were competing for roster spots — Oscar Gonzalez, Tyler Wade, Mason McCoy, and Luis Campusano — are no longer in big league camp. The immediate futures of Connor Joe and Eguy Rosario currently remain unclear. Joe, Gonzalez, McCoy, and Campusano can be optioned, while Rosario and Wade cannot.

Lockridge is expected to fill the platoon with the left-handed Jason Heyward in left field.

The Padres made a major decision on Sunday as four players — Yuli Gurriel, Jose Iglesias, Martín Maldonado, and Gavin Sheets — were informed they will be on the Opening Day roster. That left one spot with five players competing for it, and in the end, Lockridge won out.

Lockridge, 28, is a former fifth-round draft pick by the New York Yankees. He was traded to the Padres at last year's deadline, and made his MLB debut in September. Across 12 plate appearances with the big league club, he got two hits — including a home run — and struck out four times.

Now, Lockridge has broken camp with San Diego, and has won out an incredibly difficult spring competition.

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“It’s not even close,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said Sunday when asked if this is his most difficult decision-making spring. “This has been a very, very competitive camp. All those guys have played their way onto a team that only has so many spots.”

Wade felt like a sure thing to make the Opening Day roster heading into spring training. The Padres gave him a one-year, $900,000 deal this offseason, as they value his clubhouse presence. He spoke about the contract and relationship earlier this spring.

“We kind of had talks about it in the year, and just as the year went on, it progressed,” Wade said. “Shildty just really reiterating how much I mean to this club and this organization, dude, that means the world to me. Having someone like him and Manny and Bogey telling me how much I mean to this team, it goes a long way. And when we got (the contract done) I was so happy.”

Shildt added: “He’s clearly a guy that we really, really appreciate on our club. Brings a lot on the field and from a culture standpoint, energy standpoint.”

However, in the end, the Padres prioritized winning, and Wade's .524 OPS from a year ago doesn't exactly help the team on the field.

Wade had a .641 OPS in 19 games this spring. Lockridge has a .891 OPS in 20 games.

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