Padres manager Bob Melvin indicated recently that he's pleased with Knehr's work this spring, per Bill Center of FriarWire. "I like Knehr's stuff. He throws strikes, has a good breaking ball. He's got late movement to it. He's got a lot of confidence in what he is doing now based on the fact that he was in the big leagues last year. I like his progress," Melvin stated.
Knehr got into one Cactus League game this spring, allowing one run (on a solo homer) over two innings while striking out three. However, he also worked on his pitching on the back fields and evidently impressed his manager. Knehr posted a 4.97 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 20:20 K:BB across 29 innings for San Diego last season, and it's not clear if he'll have a spot on on the 2022 Opening Day roster.