Who is the backup center fielder?
"Well, there's (Trent) Grisham," Padres manager Bob Melvin said.
He paused for a few seconds before continuing.
"There's Grisham," he repeated. "I'd like to think we pencil him in for a lot of games out there."
That was a week ago. Nothing has changed in terms of the options the Padres have (or don't have) in the outfield.
On the 40-man roster are Grisham, right fielder Wil Myers, and utility men Matt Beaty and Jurickson Profar. The left-handed hitting Beaty and switch-hitting Profar are the presumptive left fielders.
It has reached a point where Melvin is likely going to give Myers some turns in center, where he has started 97 games in his career. Melvin is also considering working infielder CJ Abrams there.
"Maybe throw Abrams out there," Melvin said, with the emphasis on the first word. "Take another look at some versatility. I know I didn't say that earlier, but I wanted him to feel comfortable in a certain spot. But with the lack of depth in the outfield at this point, maybe look at him at some point."
Abrams' strong spring and the fact shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will miss at least the first two months of the season has prompted the Padres to at least consider keeping their top prospect on the roster for opening day.
While the Padres previously acknowledged Abrams has the athleticism to play in center, actually contemplating looking at him there at this point puts a megaphone to the scarcity of viable outfielders. Non-roster invitee Nomar Mazara has never played center field, and it is evident that despite a promising spring the Padres don't see Jose Azocar as ready to provide meaningful contribution to what is supposed to be a championship contender.
The Padres acquiring Beaty from the Dodgers on Monday frees up Profar at least some of the time, and Profar has played all three outfield positions. But when asked Tuesday afternoon whether Profar was now the No. 2 in center, Melvin demurred.
"Outfield depth right now is a little bit of a concern," he said.
