Samad Taylor: Everything you need to know

The Padres selected Taylor's contract from Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. Taylor was elevated to the big-league club after slashing .319/.406/.500 with the Triple-A squad. The 25-year-old was most recently in the majors with Seattle in 2025, though he recorded just eight at-bats. Taylor will replace Nick Castellanos on the active roster after the latter was designated for assignment.

The Padres reassigned Taylor to minor-league camp Tuesday. The 27-year-old is expected to open the season at Triple-A El Paso after failing to win a utility spot with the Padres coming out of spring training. Taylor owns a .205/.272/.260 slash line over 83 career plate appearances in the big leagues across the past three seasons.

Taylor signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. Taylor elected free agency Friday after being outrighted by the Mariners, and he'll now attempt to carve out a role for himself with the Padres. The 27-year-old carries just a .532 OPS through 83 career plate appearances in the majors, but he slashed .296/.378/.461 with 86 RBI, 124 runs scored and 44 steals over 137 games at Triple-A Tacoma in 2025.