{"id":114585,"date":"2026-02-22T23:30:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T04:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=114585"},"modified":"2026-02-22T23:30:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T04:30:17","slug":"craig-stammen-figuring-out-new-look-padres-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/02\/22\/craig-stammen-figuring-out-new-look-padres-lineup\/","title":{"rendered":"Stammen Figuring Out New-Look Padres Lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the first weekend of spring training in the books, teams now see a preview of what is to come in the following weeks. Players are settling in, managers are experimenting, and early patterns are emerging.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of those managers<\/a> is the new San Diego Padres skipper, Craig Stammen<\/a>. Over his first few games helming the club, he toyed with new approaches for the club, but none so overt as the top of the batting order.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Feb 18, 2026; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen (14) during spring training photo day. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Padres Lineup Should Look Different from Last Season<\/h2>\n

Once is Interesting, Twice is a Pattern<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On both Friday\u2019s Cactus League opener and Sunday\u2019s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Stammen had the same four players atop his starting lineup, in a rather unusual order when compared to last season’s Padres. <\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Xander Bogaerts<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Jackson Merrill<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Manny Machado<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Fernando Tatis Jr.<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Is this Stammen experimenting, or does it hint at a change for good? It’s likely that he\u2019s simply prioritizing giving hitters bound for the World Baseball Classic (Bogaerts, Machado, Tatis Jr.) at-bats before they leave for the tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    In speaking to Padres beat reporter AJ Cassavell<\/a>, Stammen emphasized that it\u2019s simply a consideration he’s taking into account, not an indictment of what’s to come. That being said, that statement came before Sunday\u2019s game, where Stammen used the same order for those four again. So it seems likely this is where San Diego\u2019s trending, but why?<\/span><\/p>\n

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    It feels good to be back \ud83d\udc9b pic.twitter.com\/WOqbGT69wv<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n