The Padres placed Jake Cronenworth on the seven-day concussion-related injured list Tuesday and recalled infielder Sung-Mun Song to take his roster spot. The club also reinstated left-hander Yuki Matsui from the 15-day injured list and optioned left-hander Kyle Hart.
For Song, the move offers another opening after a stop-start first season in North America. San Diego signed him this offseason to a four-year, $15MM deal after he hit.327/.397/.524 over 2024 and 2025 with the Kiwoom Heroes in South Korea, but an oblique issue in January began the year on the injured list and delayed his chance to stick.
Song completed a rehab assignment and was sent to the minors in mid-April, then got a brief recall for the Padres’ Mexico City series against the Diamondbacks. He technically made his major league debut by pinch running for catcher Luis Campusano in the top of the eighth inning and being replaced by Freddy Fermin in the bottom of the frame.
Since then, Song has put together a stronger stretch at Triple-A, where he was hitting.293/.364/.354 with an 82 wRC+ overall and had an eight-game Triple-A hitting streak with a.351/.400/.459 line in that span. He had been splitting time between shortstop, second base and third base, and the Padres may need that flexibility now with Cronenworth sidelined and Fernando Tatis Jr. already having logged 49 frames at second base in 2026.
Cronenworth was hitting.144/.272/.196 on the season, a slump that had already made the infield picture uneasy. His absence creates a real opportunity for Song to handle second base while San Diego sorts out coverage around the diamond, and this promotion gives the Padres a chance to see whether his bat can finally carry over after two strong years in South Korea.
The next test is simple: whether Song can turn a temporary roster move into a lasting role before Cronenworth returns.
