18 Austin Hedges C

Hedges is likely to make the Padres' Opening Day roster, but the amount of playing time he'll receive has not yet been decided, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Hedges led Padres backstops with 102 games last season, but he posted a paltry .176 batting average while striking out 109 times in 312 at-bats. His elite defense is likely to keep Hedges on the big-league roster, but he could see considerably less playing time if Francisco Mejia is able to complement his superior bat with improved skills behind the plate. Luis Torrens is also in contention for a roster spot but remains a longshot, per Cassavell.

Hedges agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Padres on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

This is Hedges' second year as an arbitration-eligible player. He will go through the process two more times before hitting the open market after the 2022 season.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

Hedges will give way to Francisco Mejia behind the plate Wednesday night. Hedges started regularly the last three weeks with Mejia sidelined, but with Mejia now back in action, the two figure to split the catching duties in some fashion the rest of the way.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Hedges started eight of the last nine games and will receive a breather after going 3-for-21 with six walks. Austin Allen takes over behind the plate for the Friars in the series finale.

Hedges went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and two walks in a loss to Colorado on Friday.

Hedges put the Padres on the board in the first inning with a two-run blast to center field and reached base twice more via walk. The productive game was a rare bright spot in what has been a miserable month for Hedges at the plate, as he is hitting a scant .100 with one extra-base hit in 30 at-bats in September.

Hedges is not in Thursday's lineup against the Cubs.

He is hitting .071 with zero home runs in 28 at-bats this month. Austin Allen is starting behind the dish and hitting seventh.

Hedges is not starting Friday against Colorado.

Hedges gets a rest after starting seven of the last eight games behind the plate. Austin Allen will get the nod in his absence.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at San Francisco.

Hedges started the last four contests so he'll head to the bench in the series finale. Austin Allen will start behind the plate in his place.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Thursday's win over San Francisco.

Hedges launched a two-run shot to left center field in the fourth inning to plate the Padres' final runs of the game. The hit snapped an 0-for-13 skid that stretched back to Aug. 20. Hedges is San Diego's best defensive option behind the plate but has struggled mightily as a hitter this season, slashing .189/.254/.340 with 10 homers, 33 RBI and 92 strikeouts in 285 plate appearances.

Hedges went 4-for-4 with a solo home run in a 3-2 victory against the Phillies on Sunday.

This really came out of nowhere. Hedges came into the afternoon batting below .200 for the season and was just 1-for-17 (.059) during August. Before Sunday, he had four hits in his previous 11 games. Hedges has shown some pop this season, but with a .197 average, he's still not worth rostering in standard leagues. He has nine homers, 31 RBI and 20 runs in 244 at-bats.

Hedges is not in Sunday's lineup against the Rockies.

Hedges has only started once in the last four games. Francisco Mejia will start behind the dish and hit sixth.

Hedges isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

Hedges will head to the bench for the second straight contest, as he also took a seat for Thursday's series opener. Francisco Mejia gets the nod behind the dish and is set to hit sixth in Hedges' place.

Hedges is not starting Thursday against the Rockies.

Hedges will give way to Francisco Mejia behind the dish for Thursday's series opener following back-to-back starts. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is off to a slow start to August, going 0-for-10 with a walk and five strikeouts through four games this month.

Hedges is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Hedges and Francisco Mejia have alternated starts over the last seven games, and Hedges will head to the bench after going 0-for-2 on Saturday. The 26-year-old has a .794 OPS with on double and two home runs in 10 games since the All-Star break.

Hedges isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers.

Hedges will head to the bench after going 0-for-2 with a walk in Thursday's series opener. Francisco Mejia is set to handle the catching duties and hit seventh in Hedges' absence.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles.

Francisco Mejia will handle catching duties in the series finale, but he seems to have fallen behind Hedges on the depth chart, given the usage of both backstops recently. Hedges had started four of the Padres' previous six games, and it looks like his superior defense could be the playing-time tiebreaker between the two when Mejia is in the midst of dry spells at the plate.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Giants.

Hedges delivered a game-tying solo shot off Giants starter Jeff Samardzija in the fifth inning, but that was the only run the Padres managed to plate. Hedges has gone 6-for-18 with two homers, six RBI and two doubles in his last six games, dating back to July 7. For the year, the catcher has a .195/.260/.344 batting line with eight homers, 29 RBI and 18 runs scored in 66 games while splitting time with Francisco Mejia behind the dish.

Hedges is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

Hedges will give way to Francisco Mejia in the series finale after manning the catcher spot in Wednesday's 7-2 win and going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. The Padres seemed to be running more of a timeshare behind the dish coming out of the All-Star break, but Mejia appears to have since recaptured primary catching duties. Mejia will pick up his third start in four games while Hedges sits.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Marlins.

His fourth-inning shot -- the catcher's first long ball in nearly two months -- gave the Padres a 3-0 lead, and Chris Paddack and the bullpen took it from there. Hedges is slashing only .187/.250/.325 through 62 games with seven homers and 25 RBI, and he'll continue losing playing time to Francisco Mejia if he can't supply more consistent offense.

Hedges (personal) was reinstated from the bereavement list Tuesday, Bill Center of MLB.com reports.

Hedges missed three games after going on the bereavement list Friday. Austin Allen was sent back to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.