Walker Buehler and Ty France have both made the San Diego Padres’ initial 26-man roster to start the 2026 season, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Both players had opt outs in their contracts that would have allowed them to leave the team on Saturday if they weren’t guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster. Instead, the two former All-Stars will open the season on the Padres’ 26-man roster in an incredible turn of events for both players.

Walker Buehler Makes Padres Opening Day Roster

Buehler joined the Padres on a minor league deal in February, looking to get his career back on track.

The 31-year-old has struggled mightily at the MLB level since undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in 2022. He left the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2024 season and spent time with both the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies last year.

Overall, across the last two years, Buehler has a 5.10 ERA with 156 strikeouts over 201.1 innings pitched. He’s a far cry from the former two-time All-Star who was throwing fastballs in the high 90s by hitters.

However, Buehler announced this spring that he was finally pain-free in his elbow for the first time in years. He also revealed that he chose to join the Padres as he felt they represented the best opportunity for him to start.

He was right.

Buehler entered camp in a competition for the No. 5 spot in the Padres’ starting rotation. With Joe Musgrove set to open the season on the injured list, there were two spots open — and Buehler became a clear favorite for one of them.

Buehler will be one of the final two starters, while Germán Márquez is expected to be the other. They’ll join Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Randy Vásquez to make up the Padres starters to open the season.

Buehler is guaranteed $1.5 million in 2026 and has incentives that could earn him up to $4 million determined by his time spent on the active roster.

Ty France Makes Padres Opening Day Roster

France, 31, also joined the Padres on a minor league deal in February. He’s coming off a 2025 season in which he won his first career Gold Glove award at first base. He hit .257 with seven home runs, 52 runs batted in and an OPS of .681 across his time with the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays.

France chose to return to the Padres as he felt he had “unfinished business” with the organization. The Padres drafted France in 2015, and he debuted in San Diego in 2019 before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2020.

“I was very grateful for my time in Seattle and elsewhere, but I felt like there was some unfinished business here in San Diego,” France said this spring. “I never truly wanted to leave, but happy to be back, happy to be a part of this group and looking forward to what’s to come.”

France will now occupy the final spot on the Padres’ bench, likely meaning Jose Miranda — who’s had a strong spring — will open the year in Triple-A. That spot was open because Sung-Mun Song is set to start the year on the injured list due to his oblique injury.

France has had a strong spring, hitting .318 with two home runs, 12 RBIs and an OPS of .913. He’ll provide much-needed defensive coverage at first base while the team is also testing his versatility across the infield.

His salary for the 2026 season is $1.35 million.

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