Sheets is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.
The left-handed-hitting Sheets starting Opening Day versus lefty Tarik Skubal, going hitless in three plate appearances before being removed for a pinch hitter. He will take a seat in this one as the Tigers send southpaw Framber Valdez to the bump. Ty France is getting the call at first base for San Diego.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: In lineup against southpaw
Rotowire
Sheets will start at first base and bat sixth in Thursday's opener versus the Tigers.
Padres manager Craig Stammen said prior to spring training that the left-handed-hitting Sheets would play a lot against left-handed pitching. San Diego added righties Nick Castellanos and Ty France to the roster after that declaration, but Stammen is sticking to his guns with Sheets on Opening Day even as the Tigers send ace southpaw Tarik Skubal to the hill. Sheets -- who had a .669 OPS against lefties in 2025 and a .557 OPS versus them in his career -- will likely need to get off to a good start against left-handers to avoid falling into a platoon role.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Slugs third spring homer
Rotowire
Sheets went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs in a 13-6 Cactus League win over the White Sox on Thursday.
Sheets was a key contributor to a big offensive performance by San Diego, swatting a two-run homer in the first inning and coming around to score following a single in the fourth. He's swung the bat well this spring, slashing .270/.400/.568 with three long balls, eight RBI, six runs and an 8:4 BB:K. Manager Craig Stammen said in late January that Sheets would be the team's top option at first base to begin the campaign, and that still appears to be the case despite the mid-February signing of Nick Castellanos, who has been seeing plenty of first-base reps during exhibition play.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Getting shot as No. 1 first baseman
Rotowire
Padres manager Craig Stammen said in late January that Sheets is the team's top option at first base, Annie Heilbrunn of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Sheets' first year in San Diego was mostly a success, as he put up a .746 OPS with 19 home runs, 71 RBI, 57 runs and two stolen bases over 545 plate appearances. The former White Sox slugger made most of his appearances in left field (64 games) and at DH (63 games), but he came up through the minors as a first baseman and has played 92 games there in the majors. It sounds like Sheets is going to enter spring training with the inside edge to be San Diego's primary first baseman, though Stammen has also mentioned Jake Cronenworth, Will Wagner and Sung-Mun Song as options at the position, per 97.3 The Fan. Sheets showed last season that he can be a productive major-league hitter, and if he's able to hold down the first-base role and gain fantasy eligibility there to go along with his current outfield eligibility, he could be a useful fantasy asset this year.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Gets $4.5 million from Padres
Rotowire
Sheets and the Padres avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.5 million contract Thursday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Sheets enjoyed a resurgence at the plate during his first year with the Padres, slashing .252/.317/.429 while setting new career highs with 19 homers, 71 RBI and 57 runs scored across 545 regular-season plate appearances. He'll be rewarded with a $2.9 million raise from the club and figures to remain as San Diego's primary DH in 2026.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Perfect at plate Monday
Rotowire
Sheets went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 4-3 win over the Reds.
Sheets reached base in every plate appearance Monday, marking the third time he's accomplished that feat this season. The left-handed slugger has been a key contributor for the Padres when given opportunities, hitting .315/.376/.587 over his past 30 games and carrying a .797 OPS across 127 contests on the year.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Goes yard Sunday
Rotowire
Sheets went 2-for-5 with a solo home run during Sunday's 8-1 win over the Rockies.
Sheets came into the contest hitless with five strikeouts in his last 11 at-bats, but he broke out of the brief skid with a pair of hits, including a home run. Since the start of August, Sheets is 23-for-67 (.343) with four homers and eight doubles. He is now one long ball away from hitting the 20-homer milestone for the first time in his career.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Set to lose playing time
Rotowire
Sheets is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.
Sheets slashed .354/.415/.667 with three home runs, nine runs and eight RBI while starting in each of the Padres' last 14 games, but he nonetheless appears set to lose out on playing time during the final month of the season. Jackson Merrill's return from the injured list Monday is expected to close off Sheets' primary avenues to making starts, as the San Diego outfield is now back to full strength, and Luis Arraez and Ryan O'Hearn will likely continue to occupy the first base and designated hitter spots more often than not.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Homers in Monday's loss
Rotowire
Sheets went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 9-6 loss to the Mariners.
Sheets has hit well in limited action this month, batting .333 (11-for-33) with three homers and five doubles over 13 games in August. He's reclaimed a starting role in left field while Ramon Laureano shifts over to center to cover the absence of Jackson Merrill (ankle). Sheets is up to a .256/.319/.451 slash line with 18 homers, 59 RBI, 45 runs scored and two stolen bases across 116 contests, though he's likely to be back in a reserve role once the Padres' outfield is at full health.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Reclaims everyday role sans Merrill
Rotowire
Sheets will start in left field and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
With Jackson Merrill landing on the injured list Saturday due to the left ankle sprain he sustained Aug. 15, Sheets should be primed to handle an everyday role in the outfield until Merrill makes his return. Sheets had already started in each of the Padres' previous five games, going 4-for-16 with two home runs, one double, four RBI and three runs.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Odd man out post-deadline
Rotowire
Sheets is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
With the Padres acquiring Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano from the Orioles on Thursday to bolster their lineup, Sheets looks as though he'll be in store for a downsized role. Sheets didn't end up making a start during the three-game series versus St. Louis, with the Cardinals sending two right-handers and one left-hander to the hill. Since he's a left-handed hitter, Sheets doesn't profile as a potential short-side platoon player, so he may have to settle for a part-time role against right-handed pitching when San Diego has all of its key bats available.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Ends power drought in win
Rotowire
Sheets went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Mets.
Sheets doubled the Padres' lead with a two-run homer in the third inning and added a rare stolen base after drawing a walk in the fifth. It was a much-needed spark for the 29-year-old, who entered the game stuck in a 4-for-38 slump without an extra-base hit over 10 games since the All-Star break. On the season, he's slashing .249/.312/.423 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI, 39 runs scored and two steals across 394 plate appearances.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Back from paternity leave
Rotowire
The Padres activated Sheets from the paternity list Wednesday.
Sheets missed the final game prior to the All-Star break while he welcomed a new addition to the family, but he will be ready to roll for the first game of the second half. The 29-year-old was a pleasant surprise for the Padres in the first half, collecting a .775 OPS with 14 home runs. Sheets has been an everyday player for the Padres since late April, but it's possible a trade-deadline acquisition could push him to the long side of a platoon. The left-handed-hitting Sheets has an .810 OPS against righties as compared to a .689 OPS versus lefties in 2025.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Lands on paternity list
Rotowire
The Padres placed Sheets on the paternity list Sunday.
Sheets will step away from the team ahead of the final game before the All-Star break Sunday versus the Phillies in order to be with his growing family. The 29-year-old should be back with the club for the start of the second half Friday in Washington.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Belts 14th long ball
Rotowire
Sheets went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday in a loss to the Diamondbacks.
San Diego managed just four hits in the loss, and Sheets' seventh-inning, 437-foot solo homer was the only ball to leave the park. It was the just the second home run over the past 23 games for the veteran slugger, though he's had a strong first half overall. Sheets has a .771 OPS through 89 contests, and with 14 homers he's just one shy of the career-high mark of 15 he set in 2022 while with the White Sox.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Powers offense in win
Rotowire
Sheets went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and two doubles in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Reds.
Sheets gave the Padres a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning with a 422-foot blast that held up as the game-winning play. It was the 29-year-old's first homer since June 14, and he snapped a 3-for-18 slump over his previous five games. He's now slashing .265/.322/.470 with 13 long balls, 49 RBI, 33 runs scored and one steal across 295 plate appearances in what's shaping up to be a career-best campaign.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Plates four runs Wednesday
Rotowire
Sheets went 2-for-5 with a triple and four RBI in a loss to San Francisco on Wednesday.
Sheets got the scoring started with a two-run triple -- just the second three-bagger of his career -- in the first inning. He added a two-run single in the fifth to give the Padres a 5-0 lead, but those were the final runs the team scored. Sheets was pulled early from Sunday's game against Pittsburgh after colliding with the outfield wall, but he seems to be fine now, as he's started the Padres' past two contests. He's up to 38 RBI through 57 games this year, just 15 short of the career-high 53 RBI he produced across 124 contests in 2022 with the White Sox.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Sheets (head) will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth in Tuesday's game against the Giants.
Sheets missed a start Monday after colliding with the outfield wall Sunday, though he appeared as a pinch hitter during Monday's game. Now fully recovered, he'll aim to bounce back after going 2-for-18 across his last seven games.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Exits early after collision
Rotowire
Sheets (undisclosed) exited Sunday's contest versus the Pirates in the top of the fourth inning after colliding with the outfield wall, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Sheets slammed into the wall while trying to track a flyball from Adam Frazier, which went over the fence for a solo home run. The 29-year-old was removed from the game after remaining down for several moments, being replaced in left field by Brandon Lockridge. More information on his status will likely be provided in the near future.
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Padres' Gavin Sheets: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Sheets went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-8 loss to the Marlins.
Sheets got the scoring started with an RBI single in the first inning and later gave the Padres an 8-7 lead with a two-run home run in the seventh. The 29-year-old has been on a power binge over his last 10 games, homering five times with 11 RBI. He's been a pleasant surprise so far this season, slashing .275/.324/.509 with 11 long balls, 34 RBI, 23 runs scored and a stolen base across 185 plate appearances.
