GLENDALE, Ariz. -- When the Padres signed veteran catcher A.J. Ellis to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training, he appeared a lock to end up as Austin Hedges' backup this season.
Hedges, after all, was and still is the only catcher on the team's 40-man roster.
But even though Ellis has done little to hinder his chances of officially garnering that title, the job is far from locked up. In fact, the Padres could end up carrying three catchers come Opening Day.
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Raffy Lopez, with experience in just 39 career big league games, has hit .353 with a 1.300 OPS this spring to put his name further into the discussion.
"Both their skill sets I want. That's the difficulty, because they're two unique guys," manager Andy Green said on Sunday. "They bring different things to the table. My expectation would be, as the season unfolds, that both of those guys have a real opportunity to impact the Padres this year and for years to come. That's my hope. Whether that plays out like that, we'll wait and see."
Ellis, a 12-year veteran, has hit .235 this spring. His full value comes with what he does behind the plate and with the pitching staff.
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"The energy and life he brings to drills, it's refreshing for everybody," Green said. "He just enjoys being on the baseball field."
Myers in left
After not receiving much action in his previous two games in left field, William Myers was back out there on Sunday against the Dodgers, bringing his games-played totals to three in left, 10 in right and one as the designated hitter.
"We're going to come off the off-day [on Monday] and decide where he's going to play a majority of the time," Green said. "He hasn't got a ton of action out there [in left]. He says he feels good."
Injury updates
Franchy Cordero, who left Thursday night's game with groin tightness, will resume running on Tuesday.
"Late injuries, even if they're small injuries in Spring Training, impact your roster that you start with," Green said.
Right-hander Bryan Mitchell started in a "B" game on Sunday after he was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start on Saturday with neck stiffness.
Roster thinning
The Padres reassigned to Minor League camp catcher Stephen McGee, right-handers Webster Rivas and Eric Yardley, outfielder Player Page for Shane Peterson and first baseman/outfielder Allen Craig.
Up next
After the final off-day before they break camp, the Padres will host the Reds on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. PT at Peoria Sports Complex in a game that will be broadcast on Gameday Audio. With the season 10 days away, most of the starters will play all nine innings, as they did on Sunday.