A frenzied trade deadline, in part, ensured that the Padres would not need MacKenzie Gore to make his MLB debut during this COVID-19-shortened season.
But he still might or could. Perhaps. Maybe.
The Padres have until Wednesday morning to set their wild-card round roster but Gore _ their top prospect and the top pitching prospect in the game _ is on the field Tuesday at Petco Park and in the playoff bubble.
Teams can choose a new set of 28 new players for each round of the postseason, but only from the 40 players included in their postseason bubble. The initial round will take place at Petco Park with subsequent rounds being held in Texas if the Padres advance past the St. Louis Cardinals.
Like all minor leaguers, the 21-year-old Gore missed an entire year of development when the pandemic canceled the minor league season. He was included in the Padres' player pool when summer camp opened, but was not called up for his major league debut as fellow pitching prospect Luis Patino was.
That was for at least two reasons: The Padres wanted to keep Gore starting (Patino was called up to assist a scuffling bullpen) and he simply hadn't been as sharp as he's been in years past.
Gore reportedly turned a corner while ironing out his mechanics in his work at the Padres' alternate site at USD and in bullpens at Petco Park.
Because Gore, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 draft and the No. 3 prospect in MLB.com's top-100, has only five starts above A-ball, his inclusion in the playoff bubble is likely a contingency.
The Padres, after all, begin workouts Tuesday with health questions for their top two starting pitchers: Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger.
