Ross' fate appears to be SD's last roster call

If No. 5 starter is sent to Minors for Opening Day, Padres will carry 2 second basemen

March 28th, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have one roster decision left to make.
Ahead of Thursday morning's deadline to finalize rosters, manager Andy Green tipped his hand regarding a few of his Opening Day selections. Outfielder , right-hander and left-hander have all been told they will make the club. That leaves outfielder , right-hander and left-hander Buddy Baumann to be optioned to the Minors in a string of related moves.
The rest of the 25-man squad will not be finalized until late Wednesday, after the club's workout at Petco Park and after and pitch Minor League games in Arizona.
But only one decision still needs to be made, with 26 players in play for 25 places.

It seems possible the club will open the year with 14 position players and 11 pitchers, carrying only four starters. In that instance, Ross could begin the season in the Minors before a scheduled callup on April 6 in Houston -- the first day a fifth starter would be needed. (Such an arrangement seemingly leaves Robbie Erlin in line to start Friday, in place of the injured , but Green wouldn't confirm as much.)
In that scenario, the Padres would carry both and at second base. It's possible one of them is sent to Triple-A if Ross is part of the Opening Day roster.
Meanwhile, it appears to be a near certainty that the club opts to carry two backup catchers in Raffy Lopez and A.J. Ellis. Here's a breakdown of how the full squad might shake out, if indeed Ross opens the year in the Minors.
Catcher (3):, A.J. Ellis, Raffy Lopez
First base (1):
Second base (2): Carlos Asuaje, Cory Spangenberg
Third base (2):,
Shortstop (1):
Outfield (5):, , , , Matt Szczur
Rotation (4):, Robbie Erlin, , Bryan Mitchell
Bullpen (7):Brad Hand, , , , Kyle McGrath, Jordan Lyles,