Padres Pitcher Sends Cryptic 6-Word Message After Roster Decision

On Saturday, the San Diego Padres reassigned right-handed pitcher Triston McKenzie to minor league camp, ending his bid at making the Opening Day roster in the starting rotation.

On Sunday, McKenzie posted a cryptic six-word message on social media: "Now why would I do that..."

Now why would I do that…
— Triston McKenzie (@T_eazy24) March 23, 2026

McKenzie, 28, joined the Padres on a minor league deal this December, looking to get his career back on track. He was competing for a spot in the starting rotation, but lagged behind Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez due to his struggles.

McKenzie made four appearances in relief this spring, allowing seven runs across 6.1 innings for a 9.95 ERA. He did punch out 11 hitters, but walked nine in an uneven showing.

McKenzie's struggles this spring made it an easy decision to have him start the season in the minor leagues. However, he did have a surprise jump in velocity that opened some eyes at Padres camp.

“Everybody has been like, ‘Am I seeing this? Is this true?’ And I’m like, ‘I have no clue,’” McKenzie said to the San Diego Union-Tribune this spring. “I’m not doing anything different. Nothing has changed in my routine or anything like that. It’s just like I got out there in front of fans, a little bit more adrenaline, and I saw numbers that I hadn’t seen before.”

Triston McKenzie Hoping to Finally Live Up to the Hype

McKenzie is a former first-round pick by Cleveland in 2015 who was ranked as the team's No. 1 prospect in 2019, per MLB Pipeline.

He had a strong debut season in 2020 before struggling in 2021. He then broke out in 2022, making 30 starts (and 31 appearances) and sporting a 2.96 ERA with 190 strikeouts across 191.1 innings.

Unfortunately, McKenzie hasn't been able to recapture that level of success.

He missed a majority of the 2023 season with multiple injuries to his shoulder and elbow. He had a 5.11 ERA across 16 starts in 2024. He was then moved to the bullpen in 2025 where he accrued an 11.12 ERA across four appearances before being designated for assignment. He finished the year in the minor leagues before electing free agency after the season.

McKenzie had an opportunity with the Padres in what was seemingly a wide open race for a spot in the starting rotation. However, he'll instead open the season in the minor leagues, where he'll hope to impress enough to earn a call-up early in the season.

“Triston (came in) showing his elite stuff,” manager Craig Stammen said this spring. “Just got to get him in the zone a little bit more. He’s got a big future ahead of him. We’ve just got to take our time with him and get him working. … It’s a slow drip. Things aren’t gonna just change immediately. He has battled this for a little while now. So while the stuff is probably even better than what it was before and it’s really encouraging to see, you’ve got to be patient with guys like that. Because we can see how that stuff will play at the big-league level. It’s whether we can get him in the zone or not.

"I think we can. I think he’s willing to work with us and be patient. We’ll see how good of coaches we are.”