Lamet has made one relief appearance across the Padres' first five games, retiring the lone batter he faced en route to earning a hold in San Diego's April 8 win over Arizona.
The Padres' decision to trade away starter Chris Paddack on Opening Day didn't change Lamet's outlook, as the 29-year-old is still beginning the season in a relief role. Lamet has thrown just one pitch so far this season, but Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune relayed that the right-hander threw at least a couple dozen of pitches while warming up in the bullpen in each of the last three contests. Manager Bob Melvin acknowledged after Monday's 4-2 win over the Giants that he needed to vary his reliever usage a bit, so it's possible that Lamet could gain some traction in a setup role in front of closer Taylor Rogers in the coming days.