PEORIA, Ariz. -- It's been a month since pitchers and catchers reported to camp at the Peoria Sports Complex. The Padres' roster battles have changed in a major way in that time.

In places they once seemed thin, they now seem deep. The signings of Nick Pivetta, Kyle Hart and Jose Iglesias have changed things significantly in San Diego's rotation and bench battles.

With that in mind, here's one guess at the Padres' Opening Day 26-man roster:

Catchers (2): Elias Díaz, Luis Campusano
It's been an underwhelming spring for the Padres behind the plate. But Díaz seems to have moderately separated himself as the projected starter. Campusano still has the highest upside, but Díaz is the surest thing behind the plate, particularly on defense.

Campusano, meanwhile, is vying for the other roster spot alongside Martín Maldonado and Brett Sullivan. The entire catching contingent has struggled, with the four roster contenders having combined to hit .130 (7-for-54) in Cactus League play. 18-year-old prospect Ethan Salas, who was sent to Minors camp last week, has the only extra-base hit by a Padres catcher this spring.

Infield (4): Luis Arraez, Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado
The Padres' starting infield is set -- though there's a small chance that group could shift, with Cronenworth sliding to first and Arraez to DH if Iglesias earns a more significant role.

Nonetheless, as things stand, the group of Machado, Bogaerts, Cronenworth and Arraez represents one of the league's best infields, even if it's getting a bit of a positional shakeup after Ha-Seong Kim's departure.

Outfield (3): Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Jason Heyward
A year ago, the question marks in San Diego's outfield were greater than they are now -- and the Padres ended up with three All-Stars in Tatis, Merrill and Jurickson Profar.

Now, Merrill and Tatis, two of the best outfielders in the sport, are back to anchor center and right field, respectively. But following Profar's departure, the Padres are light in left field. Heyward figures to see the bulk of the early playing time, but there are a number of options to platoon with his left-handed bat.

DH/Bench (5): Jose Iglesias, Connor Joe, Gavin Sheets, Eguy Rosario, Tyler Wade
It's a relatively balanced and versatile bench group -- with several other contenders knocking on the door, including veteran Yuli Gurriel and No. 11 prospect Tirso Ornelas.

Joe is the likeliest platoon partner for Heyward. Sheets, who leads the team with three home runs this spring, could see time at DH. Iglesias, who batted .402 against lefties last season, could force his way into starts against left-handers.

Rosario and Wade, meanwhile, are both versatile -- and both out of options. There might only be room for one of them. But the Padres could theoretically delay that decision by opening the season with a 12-man pitching staff, instead of 13.

Rotation (5): Dylan Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish, Nick Pivetta, Kyle Hart
In so many ways, Pivetta's signing gave the Padres precisely what they needed. He's a mid-rotation starter with upside (and has been excellent this spring). Plus, his arrival created serious competition for the final spot in the rotation.

Matt Waldron and Randy Vásquez entered camp as favorites. Both have faltered a bit. Hart, who signed around the same time as Pivetta, remains an unknown. He's yet to technically appear in the Cactus League (though he pitched two scoreless last week against the Brewers in a game that was eventually canceled due to rain).

Keep an eye on Stephen Kolek, whose transition from the bullpen into a starting role has gone about as well as the Padres could've hoped this spring.

Bullpen (7): Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, Yuki Matsui, Alek Jacob, Wandy Peralta
The bullpen has taken a hit this spring with injuries to Bryan Hoeing (right shoulder soreness) and Sean Reynolds (right foot stress reaction). It should still be viewed as a strength. Jacob, Ron Marinaccio and Tom Cosgrove are all among those competing for the final place or two. No. 14 prospect Bradgley Rodriguez has also impressed, though he's a bit of a roster longshot.

There's high-end talent at the back end, with Suarez, Adam and Estrada. But without Tanner Scott, it skews a bit righty-heavy. As such, the Padres will be relying on Morejon to build on his excellent 2024 season. Perhaps Matsui will make a leap in Year 2 as well.