With very few outfield options on the roster, the Padres will surely give Tucupita Marcano playing time in the outfield this coming season. 

The San Diego Padres will need outfield help this spring.

You get a sense that the team will sign a few players within the next month as the Padres report to Peoria in a few weeks. A.J. Preller and his staff are still looking for the best bargain and there are a few players worth consideration. Eddie Rosario, Jurickson Profar, Tommy Pham, and Michael A. Taylor won’t get the fan base excited, but each has a certain amount of usefulness.

When asked about the outfield situation, club officials are non-committal.

There is an obvious need for players. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Azocar are the only two outfielders listed on the Padres’ current roster page. Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim may be asked to play some outfield at this point, and newly claimed former Padres’ prospect Tucupita Marcano could also play a factor at some point this coming season.

“He is coming off knee surgery, but the plan is to give him some time out there this spring (if able) in Peoria,”  a Padres club official confirms about Marcano. The Padres will get him some at-bats in Peoria (if healthy) to determine his usefulness in the outfield. The Padres are not shy about thinking outside the box. However, Tucupita Marcano does have experience in the position.

Marcano has logged in 258.1 innings in the outfield in his three-year major league career, so it is no surprise he will see some time out there.

Presently, the Padres are loaded in the infield, and Marcano will have a difficult time playing his natural second-base position.

The left-handed-hitting Marcano owns a career .589 OPS in 406 at-bats at the major league level. Last year, the native of Venezuela was getting ample at-bats with the Pirates before a knee injury suffered on July 24 ended his season. Ironically, the injury came against the Padres at Petco Park. Marcano recorded a .633 OPS in 75 games for Pittsburgh.

His bat may not be suitable for a corner outfield spot, but the Padres have few options right now.

Jakob Marsee is arguably the front-runner for the starting center fielder job, and that would be a surprise.

The 22-year-old, left-handed hitting Marsee only has 16 games of experience at the Double-A level. He will need to be impressive to win a starting job out of the spring. The Padres surely need bodies in the outfield, and it sounds like Tucupita Marcano may see some action as soon as he is physically ready.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.