PEORIA, Ariz. -- The door is open for Padres prospect Manuel Margot to make the Opening Day roster as part of the outfield mix. Margot played in his third game in four days on Sunday after missing two and a half weeks with a sore knee, and if he can get up to speed in the final week, there's likely a spot for him.
Margot is hitting .208 (5-for-24) with a double and a triple in nine Cactus League games after going 0-for-3 in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Rockies.
Margot, ranked as the club's No. 1 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, got his callup from Triple-A El Paso and made his Major League debut on Sept. 21, 2016, and he played in 10 games through the end of the season, including seven starts in center field and one in right. He hit .243 (9-for-37) with four doubles, a triple, and two stolen bases.
"Manny's a big part of our future," manager Andy Green said before Sunday's game. "Whether he's a part of our present on April 3 is yet to be determined. He's going through camp expecting to make the Major League club, which is exactly how he should go about it."
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Alex Dickerson, the Padres' projected left fielder, is starting this season on the disabled list with a bulging disc. As a result, there's room in the outfield, and Green is looking for utility players with flexibility to join the mix.
"We are thin in the outfield, but [Margot's] only been back for a couple of games," Green said in reference to Margot's shot at a spot on the Opening Day roster. "He needs to prove healthy through the rest of Spring Training. He needs to show that his game's up to where he was at the end of last year. Show us those things, I'd say his chances are very good."