Major league managers and players often say that it takes an entire 40-man roster to make it through a major league season. Little did manager Mike Shildt or any of the Padres leadership anticipate that would be true less than a month into the 2025 season.

The rash of injuries to the position core has forced the organization to promote every available position player on the 40-man roster except Luis Campusano. With the placement of Luis Arraez on the concussion protocol, the Padres really had no choice but to call up Mason McCoy. They are using their main infield utility player as their every-day centerfielder (Tyler Wade). There is no good option in center field to replace Wade, he has the most experience of anyone left standing.

Organizational depth

I admit to being one of the many Padres fans lobbying for the team to jettison Yuli Gurriel, who is still only hitting.129/.229/.161 with 3 RBI and 6 K. Thankfully, they didn’t listen and there are at least three bench players available for pinch hitting, pinch running or an emergency (Connor Joe, Tirso Ornelas and Gurriel).

Had the team waived Gurriel, there would have been no choice but to bring Campusano up as a bench piece, where he could DH or pinch hit. He plays no other position but catcher and the two catchers playing currently are far superior to him defensively.

Organizational depth was an area of concern going into the season but the current status of the team has shown that their organizational depth is pretty solid, with a couple exceptions. Gurriel is not producing and has made mostly soft contact when he has hit the ball. Connor Joe has only played in five games and had eight at-bats but he has no hits and five strikeouts. Tirso Ornelas has only three at-bats with an RBI. Both Joe and Ornelas need more time to show if they can help the team.

The other depth pieces that have been called into service have performed well so far. Oscar Gonzalez has played well in left field and has hit .300 with a double, four RBI and only four strikeouts in 30 AB. Jose Iglesias is a defensive standout and is hitting .275 with four doubles, six RBI, three walks and six strikeouts in 51 AB. Tyler Wade, though he has never hit well, is currently hitting .278 with an RBI, five walks and six strikeouts. Wade does a lot of little things very well, including bunting, running the bases and playing good defense all over the field.

The near future could be rough

It is highly likely that there are rough times ahead for the Padres. Playing without so many of your core players for an extended period of time usually means inconsistent success on the field. With the build up of wins over the past three weeks, the Padres have a little cushion to work with now.

Weathering the storm will require grit and fortitude for the players and the organization, and some patience from the fan base. There isn’t much that can be done by this team at this point without making roster moves. Removing a player from the 40-man to replace him with a minor leaguer or another signed player would mean moving someone on the 15 or 10-day IL to the 60-day IL.

Yu Darvish, Bryan Hoeing, Sean Reynolds, Jake Cronenworth, Jason Heyward, Brandon Lockridge and Jackson Merrill should all be ready to come back in less than 60 days. Luis Arraez is expected to rejoin the team after his 7-day concussion protocol is completed.

With their backs against the wall, the current group in the Padres clubhouse is all we have for the next couple weeks. Fingers crossed that no further injuries occur and Campusano can continue to work, he is currently killing Triple-A pitching with a .387/.500/.726 line including 5 HR and 13 RBI. This is something he has done consistently with El Paso. If the team should need a DH or another catcher, that will be his time. Currently, he is best served playing with El Paso and working on his defense, hopefully the Padres won’t need him anytime soon.