San Diego Padres Continue Roster Cuts, Make Majority of Opening Day Decisions

The San Diego Padres announced another roster move on Sunday night, optioning one player while reassigning four others to minor league camp.

Left-handed pitcher JP Sears was optioned to Triple-A El Paso, while outfielders Jase Bowen and Carlos Rodríguez, infielder José Miranda and right-handed pitcher Logan Gillaspie were sent to minor league camp.

We have optioned LHP JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso and reassigned OFers Jase Bowen and Carlos Rodríguez, INF José Miranda and RHP Logan Gillaspie to minor league camp.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 23, 2026

Padres Option JP Sears

Sears entered camp in a competition for the final spot in the Padres' Opening Day rotation. The left-hander struggled in Cactus League play, allowing 10 runs over 10.2 innings for an 8.44 ERA.

The 30-year-old was acquired by the Padres at last year's trade deadline alongside Mason Miller in the blockbuster trade with the Athletics. The Padres had high hopes for Sears as a potential back-end starting pitcher. Instead, he spent a majority of last season in Triple-A, and will now open the season there again after losing the rotation battle to veterans Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez.

Across parts of four seasons with the Athletics and Padres, Sears has a career 4.53 ERA over 558.2 innings pitched.

Padres Reassign Jase Bowen

Bowen signed with the Padres in December on a minor league deal. He was a breakout star this spring, hitting .296 (16-for-54) with four home runs, 11 runs batted in, seven stolen bases and an OPS of .963.

While he's set to open the season in the minor leagues, the 25-year-old could be very close to an MLB call-up with the way he swung the bat this spring.

This move essentially confirms outfielder Bryce Johnson will be on the Padres' Opening Day bench.

Padres Reassign Carlos Rodríguez

Rodríguez, 25, joined the Padres in November on a minor league deal. He hit .278 (10-for-36) with an OPS of .727. He'll provide depth in the minor leagues, but is likely behind Bowen on the totem pole of outfielders nearing an MLB call-up.

Padres Reassign José Miranda

Miranda was another spring surprise as he joined the Padres on a minor league deal in December. The former top prospect nearly hit his way onto the Opening Day roster, as he went 14-for-46 (.304) with two home runs, nine RBIs and an OPS of .907.

He was beat out by Ty France for an Opening Day roster spot, but could also get called up early in the season. Miranda was able to be optioned to the minor leagues to open the season, while France was not.

Padres Reassign Logan Gillaspie

Gillaspie, 28, was another spring standout, as he emerged as an option for the long-relief "bridge" role in the Padres bullpen. He pitched 8.2 scoreless innings to open the spring before struggling with a nine-run outburst against the Texas Rangers.

He'll likely get a major league opportunity early in the season, especially if the Padres deal with injuries to their pitching staff or struggles to either of the veterans in the starting rotation.

While Gillaspie is likely to be in the bullpen, he has the ability to cover multiple innings as he is built up to pitch four or more innings right now.