Friday, October 02

PHILADELPHIA -- Nick Castellanos was struggling offensively. He wasn’t the only one.

On Tuesday, the Padres designated Castellanos for assignment. (In Philadelphia of all places.) Timing aside, it was a sensible decision. Castellanos wasn’t providing the bench production that the team needed. He struggled to acclimate to that role. The Padres already had Ty France and Miguel Andujar as part-time righty-hitting corner bats. They needed something different. So Castellanos’ Padres tenure came to an unceremonious end.

That move alone is not going to solve the current plight offensively.

Entering play Tuesday, the Padres ranked last in the Majors in runs scored and batting average. They were tied for 27th in wRC+ -- an all encompassing hitting metric. It’s going to take a lot more than swapping Samad Taylor in for Castellanos to bring this offense to life.

“Plain and simple,” said Manny Machado. “We’ve got to hit.”

That applies to the superstars -- Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill. It applies to the role players -- to new callups Jase Bowen and Taylor, to slumping catchers Freddy Fermin and Rodolfo Durán, to bench pieces Bryce Johnson and Sung-Mun Song. Heck, it applies to hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. and the hitting staff.

All of them, across the board, need to produce more offensively.

The Padres have never wavered in their belief that they will, even as the season progresses into its third month and the struggles continue.

“For us to get to where we want to get to, it’s going to take the big guys in the middle of the order to swing the bats hot, and we’re not doing that right now,” Machado said. “We’re trying to figure it out, trying to get going.”

No doubt, that’s the biggest change the Padres can make offensively: They can get their stars hitting like stars. But in the meantime, they’ve begun to change their overall philosophy, even if only slightly.

“We’re not changing the core of what our offense is,” said manager Craig Stammen. “The goal of the offense is to score more runs than what we’ve been scoring. And I know that’s going to happen, we’ve got good players.

“I think with the transactions -- with Samad coming up, and Jase -- they bring one thing that we haven’t really had. That’s some speed, some youthfulness, some good defense. Just trying to change it up a little bit, see if maybe that’s the right formula to get us kickstarted.”

Makes sense. While the Padres wait for their stars to hit like stars, they can at least try to get better on the margins:

• Taylor can play some second base. Maybe he platoons there with Song, allowing Tatis to anchor right field. That gives you solid defense at second and your Platinum Glover back in right.

•  Bowen provides not only speed, but some measure of pop coming off the bench. And when he starts, he’s solid defensively, allowing you to bring a bat like France or Andujar off the bench.

•  As the Padres get healthier, there’s now serious competition for roster spots. Luis Campusano, Jake Cronenworth and Ramón Laureano could all be back this month. Fair warning for Johnson, Song, Fermin and Durán. They’ll all need to fight to keep their places. (None of those bench spots should be viewed as safe -- with Wednesday’s move as evidence.)

The Castellanos move does not fix the San Diego offense. The problems run much deeper than one player. But it’s a notable step, a sign that the Padres are desperately searching for those fixes. Their offense has been disappointing for two months. Considering the personnel, it ought to be much, much better. 

And if it isn’t -- as we saw Wednesday -- the personnel is liable to change.

Mason Miller holds the overall record, having broken Cla Meredith’s mark earlier this season. But who holds the Padres’ record for longest scoreless streak by a starting pitcher?

A. Kevin Brown
B. Randy Jones
C. Jake Peavy
D. Dave A. Roberts

Last week, to celebrate the start of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Padres hosted more than 70 local high school students from O’Farrell Charter School for an event aimed at furthering wellness education and positive mindset building.

Broadcasters Jesse Agler and Mariluz Cook hosted a panel that also featured starting pitcher Joe Musgrove and Dr. Laura Sudano, Ph.D., LMFT. The four shared their own experiences, then the students split into groups and engaged in interactive activities. Afterward, they watched the series finale between the Padres and Phillies at Petco Park.

The event was put on in conjunction with MLB and Everfi, which have partnered to bring a digital curriculum to the classroom that introduces students to the topic of mental health and the ways in which they can implement coping strategies and access appropriate resources.

All-Star voting is underway. On Wednesday, Major League Baseball unveiled its ballot for the 2026 All-Star Game in Philadelphia. 

Among the most prominent Padres contenders: Gavin Sheets at first base, and Tatis in right field. (I know, Tatis only has one homer, but look further into the numbers: His speed, defense and on-base ability make him a serious threat for an outfield spot.)

You can vote here, with two stages of voting to determine the All-Star starters in each league. Phase 1 of voting concludes on June 25.

• The Padres finally broke through against Cristopher Sánchez. It wasn't enough.

• With Laureano on the IL, it’ll open up an opportunity for Bowen, who made his debut on Monday.

• Sheets continues to mash, but just how costly might this Padres skid be?

• Our Sam Dykstra takes a look at one of the most unique and intriguing Padres prospects.

B) Randy Jones

Jones pitched 30 straight scoreless innings for the Padres in May of 1980.

To subscribe to Padres Beat, visit this page and mark "Padres Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Padres or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.