The Padres optioned Knehr to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.
Even though they swapped out two pitchers (Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan) for one (Taylor Rogers) in a trade with the Twins earlier in the day, the Padres didn't have room in the rotation or bullpen for Knehr on the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old lefty will likely prepare to fill a starting role for El Paso and stay stretched out in the event the Padres require reinforcement for the rotation at some point down the road.