Here's what we're seeing after Padres' first few spring games

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres are off and running in the Cactus League.

Here are six takeaways from their first weekend of games:

1. Heavy usage for WBC-bound Padres
Lefty reliever Yuki Matsui is currently sidelined by a left adductor strain, which could force him to miss the World Baseball Classic. It’s the first notable injury of Padres Spring Training.

Otherwise, the team’s Classic-bound players have taken center stage. Xander Bogaerts (Netherlands) and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado (Dominican Republic) appeared in two of the first three games, getting multiple at-bats in each. The four other relievers -- Mason Miller (USA), Wandy Peralta (Dominican Republic) and Alek Jacob and Ron Marinaccio (Italy) -- have all appeared as well.

Miller looked especially sharp, hitting 101.7 mph in his Cactus League debut on Friday, striking out two across a scoreless inning. But what did you expect? It’s Mason Miller.

“You’ve got a guy in the box in a different uniform,” he said. “What choice do you have? It’s go time.”

2. A new-look lineup?
As February lineups go, these sure have been interesting. New Padres manager Craig Stammen has Bogaerts in the leadoff spot, Jackson Merrill at No. 2 and Tatis dropped to cleanup.

And while you typically shouldn’t read anything into any early-spring starting lineup, Stammen hinted on Friday that these changes might actually stick once the season starts.

Not that Tatis sees his role any differently.

I don’t care where I hit,” he said. “... I can still get on base. I can still hit it over the fence. It’s a good mix.”

3. Strong start to the rotation race
Matt Waldron pitched two scoreless innings against the Royals on Saturday. Randy Vásquez did the same to the Dodgers in San Diego's 5-1 loss on Sunday. The Padres have (at least) two spots available at the back of their rotation, and they like what they’ve seen so far.

Vásquez, who seems poised to build on his 2025 success, is a heavy favorite for one of those places. Waldron, meanwhile, is probably on the outside looking in. But his spring debut was extremely encouraging.

The race continues in the coming days with JP Sears on Monday and Marco Gonzales on Tuesday. It’s not yet clear when Germán Márquez and Walker Buehler -- both of whom signed after the start of camp -- will debut.

4. Song’s tuneup
The Padres eased Sung-Mun Song into action at a familiar position for his Cactus League debut on Sunday. He replaced Manny Machado at third base, striking out in his first at-bat and lining to short in his second.

Song’s spring had gotten off to a slightly slower start as he recovered from an oblique strain he suffered during the winter. But he says he’s fully healthy at this point.

Needless to say, Song probably won’t get regular reps at third base, his primary position in the KBO. He’ll play all around the diamond this spring, and potentially even some outfield. The Padres expect the lefty-hitting Song to serve as a versatile utility piece, and if he hits, he should get plenty of starts against righties.

5. The Castellanos first-base experiment might work
The ball finds you. And it found new first baseman Nick Castellanos twice in the Padres’ Cactus League opener on Friday afternoon. The veteran slugger has never made a start at first in the regular season, but that seems almost certain to change in San Diego.

Castellanos looked sharp, making both plays -- including an excellent diving stop to end the fourth inning.

“I’ve only had four innings,” Castellanos said afterward. “But I love how I feel like I’m engaged in every play. In between pitches, anticipating pickoffs, having to cover bases, getting to interact with the baserunners. … I find it fun. Again, I only have four innings. But I love all the work there.”

If Castellanos can make the transition, there’s playing time available. Of course, that playing time will mostly be predicated on his bat.

6. Miranda mashes
Jose Miranda, a corner infielder in camp as a non-roster invitee, is the cousin of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the legendary playwright and performer, who created and starred in “Hamilton.”

He’s not throwing away his shot.

Miranda opened Cactus League play with a booming home run on Friday. He followed by going 3-for-3 on Saturday and is now 5-for-6 with three extra-base hits and six RBIs this spring. So what if some of those at-bats have come against lower-level pitching?

“He’s getting hits when he’s at the plate, and that’s nothing to shake a stick at,” Stammen said Sunday. “Whether he’s facing Tarik Skubal or he’s facing the guys he faced yesterday, it doesn’t matter.”

Miranda remains a roster longshot -- the Padres have Castellanos, Miguel Andujar and Ty France as righty-hitting corner-infield options. But he’s only 27 and posted a .763 OPS with the Twins as recently as 2024.