Spring struggles plague contenders. Kyle Hart emerges as the leading candidate for the final rotation spot, dominating with scoreless innings.
The San Diego Padres' starting rotation is yet to be solidified, with the final spot being wide open for many options to grab. It's safe to assume the front four will be Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Joe Musgrove, and Randy Vasquez. That leaves the final spot open to at least six different options as spring training continues.
Right-handers Walker Buehler, Triston McKenzie, German Marquez, Griffin Canning, and Matt Waldron are all candidates for the job, while left-handers Marco Gonzales, JP Sears, and Kyle Hart are the southpaw options.
Canning and Waldron are both injured, so the final spot won’t go to them for now, but perhaps by the season's end, they will have solidified themselves into the starting rotation. Still, that leaves six players vying for one spot.
How they each perform in spring will likely be the deciding factor for first-time manager Craig Stammen. Unfortunately, most of the potential starters aren’t having a great spring.
In his one start this spring, Marquez allowed three runs in two innings. McKenzie has allowed five runs in 2 ⅔ innings. Gonzales has also allowed five runs in four ⅔ innings himself. Sears also joined the club, allowing five runs in his 3 ⅔ innings. Hart is the lone starting option to show some promise this spring, pitching four innings of scoreless baseball as of Tuesday morning. Buehler has yet to make an appearance this spring.
As it stands now, the fifth spot in San Diego’s rotation is seemingly Hart’s to lose. Not only is he the only one not to have a sky-high ERA, but he also provides the Padres with extra value as a southpaw. Currently, there are no left-handers in the starting rotation, meaning Hart’s arm gives his chances at earning that final spot another boost.
In 20 games last season, six of which were starts, Hart posted a 5.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. At 33 years old, Hart has just 54 innings of major league baseball under his belt, but he may finally have gotten himself a consistent role on the Padres for 2026.
There are still over three weeks left of spring training, and there is a lot that could shift for the Padres regarding their starting rotation, but they have given themselves the best chance by having so many options. By fostering competition for the final spot, the Padres should be filling out that fifth spot with the competitor they need. The rest of spring will be vital in determining who claims the final spot.