Manager Andy Green said Tuesday that Maurer will move back to a bullpen role, Dennis Lin of the Union-Tribune reports.
Maurer came into spring training with a chance to land a spot in the back end of the Padres' rotation, but a series of poor outings have taken him out of the running. He has given up five home runs and five walks over 5.2 innings of work this spring, helping to balloon his ERA to 25.41. Maurer does offer upside out of the bullpen thanks to the mid-to-high 90s velocity on his fastball, but he may have trouble landing a fantasy-relevant role in the pen immediately. Kevin Quackenbush and Fernando Rodney remain the front-runners for the Padres' closing role while the competition for a final rotation spot is boiling down to Robbie Erlin, Colin Rea, and Drew Pomeranz.