PEORIA, Ariz. -- Before he exited a game last week with tightness in his right oblique, Sung-Mun Song was in the process of showing precisely why the Padres are so excited about his arrival.

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It’s been a year since Gavin Sheets burst onto the scene with an unforgettable Cactus League power surge. A non-roster invitee last spring, Sheets slugged his way to an Opening Day roster spot and played a crucial role in a Padres lineup that desperately needed his thump.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- For all intents and purposes, the Padres know four starters in their Opening Day rotation. They need to find a fifth. The question, at this stage of Spring Training, is whether that fifth starter is already in camp.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The temperature was up. The wind was blowing out. The run-scoring environment was as good as you’ll ever see it. Still, Jake Cronenworth hit an opposite-field home run on Thursday afternoon, and that’s not something you see very often.

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PEORIA, Ariz. -- Sung-Mun Song’s shortstop debut came to an earlier-than-expected end on Thursday -- though not before he launched his first home run of the spring. Song, the newly signed utilityman, exited the Padres’ 27-6 Cactus League beatdown of the Mariners on Thursday with tightness in his right oblique

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres insist that -- despite all those recent trades, which have thinned their farm system -- they still have a talented group of prospects. Later this month, they’ll get to make that case on the field. MLB released the rosters for its third annual Spring Breakout

Welcome to Petco Park, where the left-field foul pole is a historic landmark that isn’t a pole at all -- but rather the corner of a 115-year-old industrial building. The center-field batters’ eye doubles as a concert stage on its opposite side. The Tony Gwynn statue watches over the ballpark

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Joe Musgrove returned to the mound for the Padres’ exhibition against Team Great Britain on Wednesday -- the first time he’d pitched in a game setting since his October 2024 Tommy John surgery.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres are searching for a leadoff man. New manager Craig Stammen clearly feels good about the 2-3-4 spots in his lineup -- Jackson Merrill hitting second, followed by Manny Machado in his usual third spot, with Fernando Tatis Jr. cleaning up. But…

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Padres have signed veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo to a Minor League deal, and he will report to the team’s Minor League camp, which gets underway this week.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Seven members of Padres camp are off to the World Baseball Classic. Which -- in the eyes of new manager Craig Stammen -- means that opportunity abounds for the players who remain.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Yuki Matsui’s status for Team Japan at next month’s World Baseball Classic is in doubt after the lefty reliever sustained a groin injury during a live batting practice session at Padres camp on Thursday. Matsui ended that session early and is dealing with a bout of what

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Padres pitching coach -- and newly minted associate manager -- Ruben Niebla spoke with the media on Saturday morning, with manager Craig Stammen set to return Sunday after attending his sister’s wedding. Niebla, who will be entering his fifth season with the organization, shed some light on

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Sung-Mun Song hasn’t quite become the versatile roster piece the Padres envisioned when they signed him in December. Not yet, at least. This spring, Song has worked exclusively at second and third base -- which was precisely where he spent all of last season while playing for

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Manny Machado looks ready for the World Baseball Classic.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Japanese left-hander Yuki Matsui has been officially ruled out for next month’s World Baseball Classic, as he recovers from a left groin strain that he sustained during a live batting practice session at Padres camp. Matsui has resumed playing catch, but he’s yet to throw off a

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Mason Miller just can’t help himself. Taking the mound for the first time this spring, the Padres’ newly minted closer pumped in nine fastballs of at least 100 mph against the Mariners on Friday. “You’ve got a guy in the box in a different uniform,” Miller said. “What choice do

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

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Playing his first game at first base, Nick Castellanos hadn’t gotten much action through three innings on Friday afternoon. He was only slated for two at-bats -- and he’d taken both of them. But new Padres manager Craig Stammen asked for one more inning from Castellanos defensively.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Should you read all that deeply into any manager’s starting lineup on the first day of Cactus League play? Probably not. Still, as February lineups go, this was certainly an interesting one.