PITTSBURGH — The Padres have jostled their rotation again.
Stephen Kolek will make his first major league start here Sunday against the Pirates, meaning the Padres are going with their top three starters against the Yankees next week. The Padres have not officially announced Kolek, but two sources said the 28-year-old right-hander is headed to Pittsburgh.
The move the Padres made to a four-man rotation a week ago was always going to be temporary.
“We have been really intentional about the days off,” manager Mike Shildt said. “It’s that balancing act of making sure we’re competing, which we clearly are, and making sure we recognize it’s a long year for all the guys.”
Kolek, who was a starter in the minor leagues until 2023 and worked 42 games out of the bullpen for the Padres in ‘24, will start in what would have been Nick Pivetta’s normal turn in the rotation on Sunday.
Pivetta will start Monday, Michael King on Tuesday and Dylan Cease on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
Two off days last week allowed the Padres to send down No. 5 starter Kyle Hart and go with King, Cease, Pivetta and Randy Vásquez. Their early schedule, with six consecutive Thursdays off, has meant every Padres starter has worked on four days’ rest just once.
“We took advantage of the off days to create an opportunity for the four guys who have been in the rotation,” Shildt said. “Now, it’s a matter of how do we make sure that (everyone) is getting their appropriate rest? We have confidence in that (plan). And we have confidence in our Sunday starter.”
Lockridge returns
The expectation has been that the Padres would get one position player per series back on this three-city road trip.
They are 1-for-1 for far.
Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was reinstated to the active roster after missing 14 games with a strained left hamstring. The right-handed batter was not in the starting lineup Friday but will likely play left and/or center field over the weekend, as the Padres face left-handed starters Saturday and Sunday.
To make room on the roster, outfielder Tirso Ornelas was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. In his first big-league stint, Ornelas was 1-for-14 with two walks in seven games.
Next up, if all goes according to plan, is center fielder Jackson Merrill (right hamstring strain) on Monday in New York and second baseman Jake Cronenworth (rib fracture) on Friday in Colorado.
Lockridge, who was acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline in exchange for reliever Enyel De Los Santos, made the opening-day roster and was batting .194 (6-for-31) while playing in a platoon in left field and then as a replacement for Merrill in center field.
“That was unfortunate,” he said of his injury, suffered while trying to beat out a grounder. “You know, it’s part of it. I try to play as hard as I can out there. An unfortunate lunge for first base was kind of all it took to derail me for a couple weeks. But I try to look past that, and hopefully everything happens for a reason and I come back stronger and finish out the year good.”
Doing his part
Tyler Wade got the start in center field Friday.
With Lockridge back, left-handers starting for the Pirates the next two days and the anticipated return of Merrill on Monday, it might have been his last for a while.
“Just trying to hold it down for No. 3 until he gets back,” Wade said Friday, referring to Merrill by his uniform number. “And whatever my role is after that, more than happy to do my part.”
His part, same as it was last year, will be to be ready to fill in at second or third base, shortstop or any of the outfield spots.
Entering Friday’s game, Wade was batting .289 with a .413 on-base percentage in 13 starts.
“I’m glad I got the opportunity,” he said. “But obviously we need Jackson back.”
Merrill led the Padres in virtually every offensive category through the season’s first 10 games.
Suarez honored
Major league saves leader Robert Suarez was named the National League Reliever of the Month for April.
Suarez has converted all 12 of his save opportunities while allowing one run in 14 innings.
The right-hander anchors what has been MLB’s top bullpen in of ERA (1.77) and batting average allowed (.183).
