With rookie Jackson Merrill likely to begin the regular season as the Padres' starting center fielder, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Azocar could be looking at a reserve role.
For much of the spring, it looked like Azocar could open the campaign in center for San Diego given the team's lack of other options there. He's done well in Cactus League play, slashing .323/.344/.613 with two homers, seven runs and four RBI over 32 plate appearances, but Merrill has looked just as good with a team-leading 12 hits -- including two homers -- along with six RBI, seven runs, a stolen base and a .343/.395/.600 slash line. Per Cassavell, Padres manager Mike Shildt indicated Tuesday that Merrill would be joining the team for the Seoul Series in Korea to open the MLB regular season March 20-21, which is a strong indication that the rookie will get the first shot to start in center field. If that happens, Azocar would likely be pushed to a fourth-outfielder role behind Merrill, Fernando Tatis and Jurickson Profar.