Paddack appears on track to make his big-league debut Sunday against the Giants, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Although the Padres have yet to confirm, Paddack is in line to begin the 2019 campaign with the big-league club. He's made an impressive comeback from Tommy John surgery and impressed his skipper during spring training, proving that he's ready for the next level. Paddack posted an impressive 2.13 ERA with 20 strikeouts and just two walks over 12.2 innings during camp.

Paddack appears well positioned to break camp as a member of the Padres' rotation, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Andy Green has been cagey about the Padres' rotation plans, but all signs point to Paddack opening the season in the big leagues, barring the late addition of another veteran starter to the mix or an organizational desire to delay the right-hander's MLB service clock. While Joey Lucchesi, Eric Lauer and Matt Strahm seem to have locked up their rotation spots, there's still two openings left vacant with the likes of Robbie Erlin, Luis Perdomo, Bryan Mitchell, Jacob Nix (elbow) and Brett Kennedy (lat) having removed themselves from consideration based on poor performance or injury this spring. That leaves Paddack and two other prospects (Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill) left standing in the competition, with Paddack having vastly overshadowed both this spring. Though Paddack endured some command issues while raising his pitch count to 75 in a minor-league game Tuesday, the Padres' decision to have him throw on the back fields rather than against the Diamondbacks' big-league lineup that same day can be viewed as a positive. San Diego is scheduled to face Arizona in its second series of the season, with Paddack a candidate to take the hill for one of those three games.

Paddack gave up one earned run on five hits over four innings in San Diego's 9-3 Cactus League victory over the Angels on Wednesday, striking out six and walking none.

EDGE Analysis

Paddack had never pitched above Double-A before this spring, but he's been dominant thus far in Cactus League play, with his latest sharp effort moving his ERA to 2.13 to go along with a league-leading 20 punchouts over 12.2 innings. Manager Andy Green has been mum to this point on exactly how San Diego's rotation will look to start the season, but Paddack continues to bolster his case for a spot with each strong outing.

Paddack tossed four scoreless innings against the Athletics in Cactus League play on Friday, scattering three hits and striking out seven with no walks in San Diego's 6-5 defeat.

EDGE Analysis

Paddack gave up a pair of runs in 2.2 innings in his last start, but the right-hander bounced back with a sharp outing in this contest, lowering his spring training ERA down to 2.08. If Paddack ends up parlaying his strong spring into a spot in the big-league rotation, manager Andy Green did say the team will be "cognizant of his workload throughout the season" given that the 23-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery two years ago.

Paddack surrendered two runs on four hits and a walk across 2.2 innings Sunday in the Padres' 11-3 exhibition loss to the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Paddack turned heads after giving up an unearned run and striking out four in two innings during his Cactus League debut Feb. 26, but the right-hander had a rougher go of things in his second outing. On the positive side, he still whiffed more than a batter per inning, and only one of the four hits he allowed went for extra bases. Manager Andy Green has previously stated that Paddack has a "good chance" to make the Padres' Opening Day rotation, but the most likely outcome is that the 23-year-old heads to Triple-A El Paso to begin the season.

Manager Andy Green said Paddack has a "good chance" to make the rotation, Bill Center of MLB.com reports. "I think he should go to the mound every day expecting to make the rotation and pitching to make the rotation," the manager said. "If he shows himself as a great option for us, I will be excited about that. What day that is, if that's Opening Day, if it's a while into the season, we'll figure that out as camp unfolds."

EDGE Analysis

Paddack seems more likely to open the season back in the minors, as he has yet to pitch above Double-A, though the Padres are apparently leaving the door open for the 23-year-old to seize an Opening Day rotation spot during camp. He posted an impressive 1.91 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 120:8 K:BB across seven starts (90.0 innings) with Double-A San Antonio in 2018, so if he's able to carry that success into spring, Paddack could break camp with the big club. In his first Cactus League appearance, the youngster allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out four in two innings against the Brewers on Tuesday.

Paddack's contract was purchased by the Padres on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Paddack will be shielded from the Rule 5 draft after being added on to the 40-man roster. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 but looked healthy last year, posting a 1.91 ERA with 37 punchouts over 37 frames with Double-A San Antonio.

Paddack has been shut down for the remainder of the season, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Padres understandably opted to cap Paddack at 90 innings in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. The 22-year-old looked sharp across 17 starts with High-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio, posting a combined 2.10 ERA, 120:8 K:BB, and 0.82 WHIP. He'll likely report back to San Antonio to start the 2019 season and could push his way to the majors if he keeps on impressing on the farm.

Paddack struck out eight over 5.2 scoreless innings for Double-A San Antonio in its 1-0 win over Corpus Christi on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

After posting an exemplary 2.24 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 52.1 innings with High-A Lake Elsinore earlier this season to earn a promotion, Paddack has nearly cut both marks in half since moving to Double-A, submitting a 1.19 ERA and 0.45 WHIP through his first four outings. The 22-year-old might carry more health risk than most pitching prospects with a Tommy John surgery already on his record, but his eye-popping numbers -- he owns a career 213:19 K:BB in 162.2 innings across five different minor-league stops -- have his stock surging.

Paddack gave up one run while ceding one hit and a walk over six innings for Double-A San Antonio on Saturday. He struck out five and came away with the win in his Texas League debut.

EDGE Analysis

Beyond yielding a solo home run in the second inning, Paddack was unfazed with the upgrade in competition from what he faced at High-A Lake Elsinore, at least for one start. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Paddack doesn't possess high-end velocity, but he makes up for it with a fastball that features deceptive movement and is commanded impeccably. The 22-year-old righty has already amassed 88 strikeouts while issuing only five walks across 58.1 innings this season.