The San Diego Padres have an interesting predicament regarding Eguy Rosario.

In 2015, the San Diego Padres signed Eguy Rosario as an international free agent. Since then, he has played in the Padres system.

He received his first Spring Training experience in 2021 as a non-rostered invite. This spring, the Padres invited Rosario to Spring Training again as a member of the 40-man roster. He has no minor league options left and must make the team on Opening Day or be exposed to the waiver wire.

So far, in Peoria, Eguy Rosario has hit at a .212 clip. To go along with that, he’s amassed a .763 OPS through 14 games. Add seven hits, with two of them being round-trippers and five RBIs.

Last season, in the majors, Rosario appeared in 30 games and batted 57 times for the Padres. During those 30 games, he hit at a .245 clip and recorded a nice .814 OPS. The right-handed hitter managed three home runs and six RBIs in the big leagues last year. He produced.

On the field, Rosario filled in at second and third base. In the 26 games and 108 innings at third, Rosario posted a .971 fielding percentage with only one charged error.

There is just one problem for Eguy Rosario. The man who plays third base for the Padres is a future Hall-of-Famer and perennial MLB All-Star. However, when Manny Machado needs an off day, Rosario would be a solid backup for him. The other option at third is Tyler Wade, who is listed as a third baseman on the Padres’ official roster.

In the majors, Rosario only played second twice, but the middle infield has Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts.

The addition of Connor Joe certainly shakes up the playing time at first base, and thus the playing time at second as well. The Padres recently signed infielder Jose Iglesias to a minor league deal. Iglesias played well for the New York Mets last season and helped propel them to an NLCS appearance. This move challenges Rosario to fight even more for his spot on the 40-man.

So where do the Padres put Eguy Rosario?

This is the longest-tenured Padre on the roster, who is a strong bench piece and deserves playing time at the major league level, especially when facing lefties. With the signing of Iglesias, the Padres need to make a move on the 40-man, and Rosario may be the guy who gets left off.

Rosario’s play shows that he can be a valuable bench piece for the Padres. But which veteran player doesn’t make the team if Eguy Rosario makes it?

Being the longest-tenured Padre and playing well may give him the inside track to an Opening Day roster spot. A.J. Preller will need to make a decision between Iglesias, Rosario, and Wade by Opening Day. It is either time to let Rosario move onto another team or give him more playing time with the Padres. A big decision will need to be made.

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Max Montoya

A Southern California kid from San Clemente, he attended Gonzaga University and obtained a degree in sports management with minors in digital marketing and public relations. Max has been a San Diego sports fan for life.