Padres pregame: Sung-Mun Song returned to El Paso, Fernando Tatis Jr. back at second
A day after returning from Mexico City, the Padres are returning Sung-Mun Song to Triple-A El Paso before their 6:40 p.m. start against the Chicago Cubs.
The 29-year-old Song was called up as the 27th man for the international series. He appeared only as a pinch runner on Sunday and did not score before he was replaced for the top of the ninth inning.
The left-handed-hitting Song is hitting .293/.369/.320 with 12 RBIs and 21 strikeouts in 20 games at Triple-A El Paso.
He signed a four-year, $15 million big-league deal in the offseason, sustained a pulled oblique in spring training and has not yet shown enough in the minors to force the Padres to reconsider roster construction that includes three similar right-handed hitters in Miguel Andujar, Ty France and Nick Castellanos.
Andujar (.786 OPS) leads that trio with 64 plate appearances, followed by 51 from Castellanos (.404 OPS) and 36 from France (.864 OPS).
All three are in the lineup against the left-handed Matthew Boyd to start a three-game series with the Cubs, forcing Fernando Tatis Jr. to make his fourth start at second base.
Andujar will serve as the DH and bat sixth, followed by France as the first baseman and Castellanos as the right fielder.
Freddy Fermin will serve as the catcher.
The Padres (18-9) begin the week a half-game behind the Dodgers in the NL West.
Here’s how the Cubs (17-11) line up against the Padres;
Monday’s pitching matchup
Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (1-1, 5.79 ERA)
The 35-year-old veteran has a 22-to-3 strikeout to walk ratio through three starts (14 IP). He missed three weeks with a biceps strain. Boyd faced the Padres twice in the regular season last year (1.59 ERA, 11⅓ IP) and once in the NL Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field (4⅓ IP, 1 ER).
Here is how Boyd has fared in the regular season against current Padres:
Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (2-0, 1.88 ERA)
The Padres have won all five of his starts, three of which have been quality. Vásquez beat the Rockies at Coors Field last week, striking out five over seven shutout innings without a walk. He has a 2.57 ERA in three career starts against the Cubs. He walked seven against four strikeouts in two starts last year (2.79 ERA).
Here is how Vasquez has fared against current Cubs:
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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 3:13 PM.