The San Diego Padres could have used Bryan Hoeing to fill a key relief slot, but now he'll be out for the season.
The San Diego Padres lost another pitcher to an injury this week with the announcement that right-hander Bryan Hoeing will undergo surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right arm, with AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reporting that the injury will take Hoeing out for the entire 2026 season.
It’s a significant injury, but Hoeing isn’t a huge bullpen piece, thankfully. He was acquired in the 2024 trade deadline deal that sent reliever Tanner Scott from the Miami Marlins to the Padres, and Hoeing excelled down the stretch that season, posting a 1.52 ERA in 18 appearances, according to Cassavell.
But the Padres have been unable to keep him healthy since. Hoeing made just seven appearances last season due to a shoulder strain, and according to manager Craig Stammen he could have made a nice addition to the bullpen.
“It’s a bummer because he’s someone that could have really been a big part of our bullpen, filled a lot of different roles,” Stammen said. “What we saw from him in 2024 in the playoffs, how much better he made our team, our bullpen, how well he fit in -- it really felt like we had an ace in the hole with him in the ‘pen.”
The Padres have plenty of strong bullpen pieces, though, so replacing Hoeing shouldn’t be impossible. His importance would have come as an innings-eater in multiple roles given the thin starting rotation, especially with the way several of the candidates for back-end rotation roles are currently struggling.
Still, their depth is being sorely tested, as Cassavell noted. Right-hander Jason Adam is already questionable for Opening Day as he continues to recover from a quad injury, and the competition for the spot Hoeing would have filled includes relievers Logan Gillaspie, Bradgley Rodriguez, Kyle Hart, Ty Adcock and Garrett Hawkins. A pair of other candidates have also been pitching in the WBC, with Ron Marinaccio and Alek Jakob on the staff of Team Italy.
While there are plenty of options in the pen, the starting rotation remains an issue, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if A.J. Preller made a late spring-training trade, although the lack of resolution of the sale process might still be impeding his ability to make moves. The Padres are currently projected to finish right around the .500 mark, and as things stand right now they’ll need better pitching just to reach that status.