Padres relief Jason Adam he had surgery to repair a torn left quad last September, and as of November, Adam wasn’t sure if he would be fully recovered in time for Opening Day. However, the early days of Spring Training have been promising for the right-hander. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Adam took live batting practice for the first time today, and Adam is making slow but steady progress in practice.
“Wisely, we are…over speed. It’s just a matter of erasure” by San Diego’s medical staff, Adam said. As for getting ready for Opening Day, Adam said the team’s coaches “I didn’t say ‘no’.”
One of baseball’s best relievers over the past four seasons, Adam has a 1.66 ERA over 92 innings since the Padres acquired the righty from the Rays at the 2024 trade deadline. While the Padres still have an elite bullpen with or without Adam, getting the All-Star back and healthy early in 2026 will be a huge boost to San Diego’s chances of returning to the postseason and making a deep run in October.
More from the NL West…
- While things are going well for Adam, bro Padres relief Yuki Matsui day to day hip stiffness after his injury cut BP live on Thursday. Manager Craig Stammen told Acee and other reporters that the groin problem does not appear to be serious enough to affect Matsui’s readiness for Opening Day, but it could prevent the reliever from playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. Since signing a five-year, $28MM deal with the Padres through the 2023-24 season, Matsui has a solid but unspectacular 3.86 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 11.3% walk rate among 126 relief innings.
- Sam Hentges he has thrown many 40-pitch bullpen times in the Giants‘ in camp so far, but tells MLB.com’s Maria Guardado that he doesn’t have a pitching set moving forward, and it’s unclear if he’ll be part of San Francisco’s Opening Day roster. The Giants signed the lefty to a one-year, $1.4MM contract in December, although Hentges hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 2024 (or in the minors since August 2024). Shoulder surgery contributed to the layoff, but Hentges also underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this past September, which delayed his preseason and the final stages of his shoulder rehabilitation. Hentges admitted his extended absence played a role in the Giants’ decision to slow down his spring practice, though he hopes to play in some games before Spring Training ends.
- Dalton RushingA short-lived turn as an outfielder may be over, though The Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Katie Woo and other reporters that Rushing will be used this season as a shortstop and occasional first baseman. Rushing played 31 minor league games as an outfielder in 2024, but was on the field just twice with Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2025, and did not see any outfield work after making his MLB debut with Los Angeles. The future of the point guard position has been a question mark since LA signed him Will Smith to a ten-year extension through March 2024, locking Smith in as the Dodgers’ catcher for the foreseeable future. Among Smith’s extension, Shohei Ohtani set as DH, too Freddie Freeman Initially, Rushing could be limited to part-time work for perhaps the next two seasons, until Freeman’s contract expires following the 2027 campaign. While there has been much speculation that the Dodgers could make a trade, the team appears to still have designs on Rushing (who turns 25 tomorrow) as an important part of their roster.
