Samad Taylor has been on the injured list since early July with a right oblique strain. Since then, he’s slowly ramped up baseball activities and could be heading out for a rehab assignment soon to rejoin the Padres’ active roster.

In his short 26-game tenure, he batted .330 with one home run, 11 RBIs, and an OPS of .808. However, his shortened stint was a real difference-maker for the Padres. Similar success stories from the 2026 regular season, such as Luis Rengifo, demonstrate the need for guys like Taylor who come off the bench and produce. Both men are plug-and-play in almost any position and cover some of the Padres’ key lineup weaknesses.

As October baseball approaches, the Padres continue to fill out their roster post-trade deadline. Left fielder Austin Hays is one of those last-minute additions.

For the Padres, left-handed pitching is certainly an issue. This season, they’re 12-14 against lefty starters; two of those losses came in their last 11 games. As a team, the Padres slash .240/.307/.365 with a .672 OPS against lefties. Luckily, Hays slugs .481 against them. Hayes had only seen four pitches as a Padre before blasting the Padres’ second pinch-hit homer of 2026 against lefty Bryan King during their 7-2 win against the Houston Astros Sunday evening.

With the addition of Hays, where does Samad Taylor fit into the Padres’ current makeup?

With the Padres, Taylor has primarily spent his time in left field, sometimes covering for Fernando Tatis Jr. in right. In the past, he’s played a few times at various positions in the infield, like second base. Hays is equally capable of slotting in multiple positions as well. The Padres, ironically enough, have a lot of depth in the outfield, particularly left. Gavin Sheets, Rengifo, Taylor, and now Hays all occupy that spot.

Despite having plenty of cooks in the kitchen, when Taylor returns, someone’s likely to be sent down to make room for him. The player he’s likely to replace, Jase Bowen, fulfills a similar role but with less flashy results. In his 48 games with the Pads, Bowen’s posting a .414 OPS with one homer and six RBI.

With all that said, there’s realistically only one way to play things out. Taylor and Hays platoon, alternating on righties and lefties, respectively. On days when Tatis Jr. plays second base, Taylor can slot in right field to cover him, and both men can see playing time. Rengifo can continue filling in wherever needed. Sheets is the likely DH, along with Miguel Adujar when he returns.

Taylor’s potential as a pinch runner cannot be understated. In his short career with the Padres, Taylor has already stolen six bases. The Padres, while top five in the league in basestealing, definitely could use a speedster like Taylor on the basepaths.

Having too much depth is certainly a good problem for the Padres to have. As the season nears its end, the Padres’ offense continues to heat up. If Taylor returns soon, he may be the final piece the Padres need to make the team finally complete.

Fabian Garcia