SAN DIEGO -- It was almost decision time at Padres camp.

The team's front office had moved past the early-evaluation stage and begun to assess players for their potential fits on the Opening Day roster. That is, until Spring Training came to a halt in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are obviously more pressing questions facing the Padres and the rest of the baseball world right now. But when the sport resumes, San Diego has some decisions to make regarding these three key position battles:

Catcher
The contenders: Austin Hedges, Francisco Mejía, Luis Torrens

Whatever answers the Padres hoped to find behind the plate, they haven't gotten any just yet. Hedges remains on top of the sport defensively, but he struggled at the dish. Sure, it was a small spring sample, but he's coming off a season in which he posted a .563 OPS. The offensive question marks persist.

As for Mejía, he went hitless in 15 spring at-bats. The same caveat about sample size applies. But Mejía doesn't have Hedges-like defense to fall back on if he struggles, and he was not sharp defensively this spring.

The Padres remain hopeful that there's a useful playing-time split to be struck between those two catchers. But Torrens turned some heads this spring, and Luis Campusano (San Diego's No. 4 prospect) could make an impact soon. When the sport returns to action, those two might begin to ramp up the pressure on the Padres' current catching duo.

Second base
The contenders: Jurickson Profar, Greg Garcia, Brian Dozier, Jake Cronenworth, Ty France

Let's face it, even in a normal year, the Padres weren't going to leave Spring Training with a clear answer at second base. It seemed likely that Profar, Garcia and Dozier all would've made the roster, with manager Jayce Tingler left to divvy up playing time based on matchups or performance.

Among that group, Garcia had the best spring, and it's easy to envision him receiving significant playing time against right-handers. (He owns a career .369 on-base percentage against righties.) Still, either Dozier or Profar could have seized a regular starting role, but neither impressed much this spring.

Then there's France and Cronenworth, who were among a handful of players vying for the 26th and final spot on the roster. Neither is a primary second baseman, but it's easy to envision one of them making the club and getting a few at-bats at the position.

No. 5 starter
The contenders: Joey Lucchesi, Cal Quantrill

This battle was just getting started. Lucchesi entered camp as the clear favorite for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, but Quantrill had closed that gap in a big way.

Over three appearances, Quantrill allowed just one run on two hits in seven innings. He struck out nine. Lucchesi, meanwhile, ended his Cactus League campaign with a dud in which he walked four hitters, allowed four runs and didn't make it through the first inning.

For now, it's fair to view that start as a minor spring blip. Lucchesi remains the favorite, given his longer track record of success.

But during an up-and-down rookie season, Quantrill was one of the team's best starters for about two months last year. If he harnesses that version of himself, the Padres could have a serious competition at the back of their rotation. That's just what they wanted.