Padres Manager Reveals What Ex-All-Star Needs to Do to Make Opening Day Roster

The San Diego Padres have a handful of non-roster invites making a case to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.

One of them is Ty France, a former Seattle Mariners All-Star and one-time Padres rookie.

France was initially drafted by the Padres in the 34th round of the 2015 draft and debuted with San Diego in 2019. He was then shipped off to Seattle in a blockbuster trade and ended up blossoming into an All-Star with the Mariners.

France hit 20 home runs and had an OPS of .774 in his All-Star campaign in 2022, but hasn't put up those kind of offensive numbers since. He's had an OPS below .700 in each of the last two seasons, hitting a combined 20 home runs across 278 games.

France did earn his first career Gold Glove in 2025, winning the award as the best defensive first baseman in the American League with 10 Outs Above Average and nine Defensive Runs Saved.

The Padres were able to add France on a minor league deal in February, and he's now competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Manager Craig Stammen recently talked about France's spring, and what he needs to continue seeing from him to earn a roster spot.

"Gold Glove first baseman, need to see him a little bit more at third and second, and see if he can play around the diamond a little bit," Stammen said. "That’ll help us out, helps his case out, too — making the team and being a versatile defender with some good offense."

He added: “If you can hit, we’ll find a place for you.”

France has appeared in 11 games this spring, going 10-for-27 (.370) with four doubles, five runs batted in and an OPS of .952. While there was initially just one spot open on the Padres' Opening Day roster, there may now be two with Sung-Mun Song's status in jeopardy due to his oblique injury.

France is just worried about what he can control, though, as he's done his entire career.

“I can go back as far as high school, where I didn’t get picked for the Perfect Game stuff and I didn’t get picked for Area Code (games),” France recently said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “College, I was a 34th-round draft pick. I’ve always had that little chip on my shoulder to go out and prove people wrong. Nothing about me as a player is, ‘Wow!’ I do a lot of things really good.’ I don’t do one thing really, really great. So I feel like I have to come in every single day and prove myself.”

He added: “This is a competitive game, and it can be taken away from you at any point. So you feel like you have to come in here every single day and fight for a job no matter where you’re at.”

Since France has six years of service time and was on a team's 40-man roster to end last season, he has the ability to opt out of his Padres contract on March 21 if he knows he won't be on the Opening Day roster to search for another opportunity.

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