Padres announce 26-man roster for wild card series with Cubs: Who’s in and who’s out?
· Yahoo Sports
The San Diego Padres enter the MLB postseason as one of the hottest teams in baseball after winning 17 of their last 20 games.
The Padres finished 91-71, earning the first Wild Card spot in the National League. San Diego will have home-field advantage for its best-of-three series against the Chicago Cubs. The Padres will be looking for revenge after the Cubs eliminated them in this exact spot last year.
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The Cubs won the season series 5-1, but the two teams have not played each other since the Padres completely turned their season around after the All-Star break. Both teams have high expectations, with the winner of this series advancing to the NLDS to face the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ahead of Game 1, the Padres announced their 26-man roster for the Wild Card round with some notable omissions and a surprising addition.
The Final 26
The biggest surprise addition to San Diego’s Wild Card roster is starting pitcher Joe Musgrove. A former All-Star, Musgrove has not appeared in a game for the Padres this season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Musgrove will not be in his traditional starter role in the postseason, as he is expected to work out of the bullpen.
San Diego has Michael King and Nick Pivetta lined up near the top of the rotation, with Robbie Ray and Walker Buehler also available.
The bullpen remains one of the team’s biggest strengths, with Mason Miller headlining the group. Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, and Bradgley Rodriguez also provide San Diego with high-leverage options.
The Padres’ position player group also brings plenty of star power to the series. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts will all be expected to play major roles if the Padres are going to advance.
Notable Omissions
San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen (14) walks for the dugout after a pitching change in the eighth inning of the MLB National League game between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. The Reds won, 4-3. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)San Diego will be without a few notable players for the series. Right-hander Casey Mize is unavailable after landing on the injured list with a right ankle sprain, while reliever Jeremiah Estrada is also out with a shoulder issue.
Veteran left-hander Wandy Peralta was also left off the 26-man roster, removing an experienced bullpen option from the mix. Infielder Sung-Mun Song was also omitted. While both of these players were healthy, the return of Musgrove may have left Peralta as the odd man out. For Sung-Mun Song, the Padres appear to have shifted towards keeping right-handed hitters, while Song bats left-handed.
With most of their key position players healthy and Musgrove making the roster, the Padres enter the series with most of their core intact.
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