On Monday night, the San Diego Padres will face off against the Chicago Cubs in a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
Most recently, the Padres lost the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Sunday.
Additionally on Sunday, the Padres re-signed a player who had previously opted against returning to the organization.
San Diego Padres Re-Sign Former Second-Round Pick
The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders posted on X: “After briefly testing free agency, Nick Solak has signed back with the #Padres and is headed back to @epchihuahuas”
After four appearances with the Padres this season, Solak was designated for assignment once Miguel Andújar came off the injured list. In his four games with the Padres, Solak hit .143 with one hit, one RBI and one walk in 10 plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Solak has appeared in 55 games for the Padres triple A-affiliate El Paso Chihuahuas. With the Chihuahuas, Solak is hitting .327 with 69 hits, eight doubles, nine home runs, 51 runs, 40 RBIs and five stolen bases.
Regarding the move, Tremayne Petersn wrote for FanSided’s Friars on Base: “Solak didn’t get enough major-league at-bats to prove much of anything. But that doesn’t mean he’s not an important part of the Padres organization. There’s also the wrinkle that comes with Triple-A production. The Pacific Coast League can make hitters look a little shinier than they really are. Solak has also been around enough organizations for everyone to understand why there’s skepticism. If teams fully believed the bat would play in the majors every day, he wouldn’t be bouncing through depth charts.
But that is not really the point. The Padres are making sure they have useful depth from the right side of the plate. So when a veteran infielder in your own system is mashing, gets away for a few days, and then comes back, that’s still a win.”
While Solak will re-join the Padres triple-A affiliate, the former Yankees 20216 second-round pick could still return to the major league squad later this season.
Padres vs Cubs
After a disappointing series against the Dodgers, which saw the team win the first game against Los Angeles only to drop the following two for the second consecutive series with the Dodgers, the team will now head to Chicago.
The Padres saw their 2025 season end in Chicago as they lost a three-game series in the Wild Card Round 2-1.
For the series opener on Monday, the Padres are expected to start right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning, while the Cubs are expected to start left-hander Shota Imanaga.
Regarding the pitching matchup, Sports Illustrated’s Ryan Gilbert wrote: “Griffin Canning is expected to get the nod for San Diego on Monday. He had a solid relief appearance two weeks ago, allowing one run on four hits in 4.1 innings, but then yielded four runs on as many hits while recording just two outs against the Braves last week.
Shota Imanaga got the win last time out, allowing four runs on as many hits (with three home runs) in 5.1 innings against the Mets. He had allowed just one run in 10.2 innings in his previous two starts, both against the Rockies.”
San Diego Padres Sign Former Yankees Top Prospect Before Cubs Series