The San Diego Padres have seven players off competing in the WBC, so opportunity is knocking for some of those who remain in camp. One who’s making the most of his opportunity is infielder Ty France, whose OPS is up to .944 so far this spring.
These aren’t fluke hits, either. According to Charlie Wright of MLBTradeRumors.com via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune, France hit three balls that reached an exit velocity of at least 105 mph in yesterday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, with one of them going for a double.
“He needs to keep swinging like he did today,” manager Craig Stammen said. “If you can hit, we’ll find a place for you.”
The manager also added that France will get more opportunities at second and third base, which will be new positional territory for him. According to Wright, France has made a total of just three appearances at second over the past four seasons, and he hasn’t played third since 2022. But the versatility would give him an advantage for a roster spot on a club that currently has some tough competition for the first base/DH spot.
France could also be involved in whatever moves are made to replace Sung-Mun Song after the infielder re-injured his right oblique last week. The outfield looks set with Fernando Tatis Jr. in right, Jackson Merrill in center and Ramon Laureano in right, and that combination pushes Gavin Sheets to first base.
The rest of the competition features Miguel Andujar, Nick Castellanos and Jose Miranda for DH and possibly a platoon with the left-hand hitting sheets, and Mirada currently has as many hits as France with nine, which also leads the team.
Stammen also provided an update about Song over the weekend. He aggravated his oblique on Thursday, and Acee said the team has been encouraged by his progress since then.
“They’re going to try to get him moving around here today,” Stammen said. “We’ll see when (he starts) swinging a bat.”
That sounds a long way from being ready for game action given how profoundly oblique issues can affect a player’s swing, and Song’s Opening Day status will be officially be in jeopardy if he’s not at least swinging comfortably by mid-March.
The manager also added that the experiment of trying Song in the outfield is currently off, which means there will be backup opportunities open in that area as well as spring training continues.