Wandy

Peralta

Peralta signed a four-year, $16.5 million deal with the Padres last winter, but each of the last three seasons are player options. Peralta missed time with a groin injury and wound up with a 3.99 ERA and a 22/13 K/BB in 38 1/3 innings last season. It was his highest ERA since 2019.

Peralta has been out since before the All-Star break with his groin injury. The 33-year-old southpaw gives San Diego yet another arm who can help their bullpen for the final month.

The Padres also plan on activating Wandy Peralta from the injured list as their pitcher for the roster expansion. Diaz, 33, was signed to a minor league contract earlier in the week after he was cut loose by the Rockies. It’s unlikely that he sees enough playing time to gain any sort of relevance from a fantasy perspective.

The 32-year-old southpaw was pulled from Tuesday’s outing after injuring his groin, and after a couple of days he hasn’t really improved, so the Padres will sit him down for a couple of weeks to make sure that he gets right. Sean Reynolds was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take his place in the Padres’ bullpen.

Peralta looked like he wanted to try some warmup pitches after grabbing at his groin area on his final offering of the night, but the team didn’t let him. Hopefully, it will prove to be a day-to-day injury.

Cease and a trio of relievers -- Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Yerry De Los Santos -- limited Chicago’s lineup to just three hits combined in a one-sided affair. The 28-year-old righty was nearly flawless, allowing just four baserunners over six frames to open the contest, with a fourth-inning homer by Michael Busch accounting for the only damage against him. He finished with seven strikeouts and only issued a pair of walks. He’ll bring a sparkling 2.16 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 20/6 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings (three starts) into a tough road tilt on Tuesday against the Brewers.

It’s notable that Padres manager Mike Shildt called upon Suarez to protect a one-run margin in the final frame while Yuki Matsui, Enyel De Los Santos and Wandy Peralta pitched earlier in the exhibition contest. Nothing is set in stone, but fantasy managers should feel confident forecasting Suarez as the favorite for saves in San Diego entering the season.

The deal, which was agreed to last week, is now official. The 32-year-old’s four-year pact is ostensibly a series of one-year deals since he has the ability to opt-out after each season. The 32-year-old lefty joins San Diego’s crowded late-inning mix and could wind up getting a chance to close. There should be some clarity during spring training, but it’s a frustrating situation for fantasy managers at the moment.

In an interview with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune, Shildt said, “I’m not going to give you an absolute answer because depending on the day, depending on the matchups, it could be anybody based on who is available.” In the interview, Shildt specifically mentioned Robert Suarez, Yuki Matsui, and Wandy Peralta, but it appears that he values going with matchups instead of designating a lock-down closer. This is definitely a battle to monitor this spring.

It sounds like Peralta will be able to opt out after each year of the deal. The 32-year-old southpaw is a strong groundball pitcher and has a 3.01 ERA in 188 2/3 innings since the beginning of 2020, though his peripherals were definitely off some last year.