Notes: Camp adds likely; Pham, Tatis updates

July 11th, 2020

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres went through a light workout at Petco Park on Saturday morning, marking the first day since the start of camp that they haven't held an intrasquad game. It's a planned breather for players before the team expects to ramp things up next week.

With the start of the season fast approaching, the upcoming week is also time for the Padres to call in reinforcements. The team still expects to open the season with a roster comprised of the players in camp. But sources said it's likely that general manager A.J. Preller begins to add to its player pool over the next few days.

was the most prominent name among the players to be left off that list, but the Padres released him on Saturday, signaling that they're mostly content with their infield options. Instead, it seems likely the club will add relief help to its player pool, in the wake of recent injuries to and .

Specifically, the Padres could turn to the free-agent or trade market for a left-handed relief option, multiple sources have said. and are weapons who can be deployed in nearly any situation. But with Castillo expected to miss at least six weeks due to a left lat strain, the Padres don't have many other viable lefty bullpen options. (Prospects MacKenzie Gore and Adrian Morejon are currently being treated as starters.)

The San Diego bullpen was further tested on Friday with news that Wingenter is battling irritation in his right elbow and will be re-evaluated early next week. On top of that, the Padres lost righty reliever for the season when he underwent Tommy John surgery in March.

But with Pomeranz, Strahm, , , and available at the back end, the Padres' bullpen still projects as one of the best in the Majors this year.

"We feel good with our group out there," Tingler said. "Any time you lose a guy like a Castillo, like a Wingenter, that's never a good thing. But we do have a lot of depth. We're not big on talking about what this bullpen has done in the past, though. Each year is challenging, especially with bullpens. Guys will have good years, bad years. But ... we're going to have a chance to have a strong bullpen."

The Padres’ player pool currently sits at 54 players, and while additions are expected, it remains unlikely that the team will fill all 60 spots in the coming week.

Worth noting

returned to game action on Friday night with three plate appearances in a designated hitter role. He went hitless but put the ball in play all three times and said, "I saw the ball great."

When Spring Training was shut down, Pham moved into his condo in San Diego and installed a pitching machine that "fires miniature Wiffle Balls" at him in his living room to work on "vision training ... and plate discipline."

Pham said he used it often while he was quarantined due to a positive test for coronavirus over the past two weeks, and he even posted a video on his Instagram story of the workout. But he didn't get too deep into specifics of how the machine works, joking, "I don't want to get myself in too much trouble with my landlord."

tested negative multiple times for the coronavirus, but he was feeling under the weather and missed the team's workout on Friday. He returned Saturday and was one of only two players -- along with Pham -- who went through a full workout.

• The Padres will play their first intrasquad day game of Summer Camp on Sunday, with prospects Joey Cantillo and Ryan Weathers slated to square off. Neither is considered a serious rotation option this season, but the Padres envision a bright future for both. Weathers is currently ranked as the team's No. 9 prospect and Cantillo No. 10.