Notes: Melancon, Kela in 'pen mix; Yu throws

The Padres made two signings official on Thursday -- albeit not yet the megadeal that's making headlines across the sport.

Right-handers Mark Melancon and Keone Kela joined San Diego's bullpen on Thursday after both passed their physicals and completed COVID-19 intake screening. Now that they’re on board with one-year contracts, it’s time to add their names to the mix for the wide-open closer role.

Melancon and Kela join Emilio Pagán and Drew Pomeranz as Padres with closing experience. Not that Melancon -- who spoke with the media on Thursday -- is all that concerned with when he pitches.

"That'll sort itself out," Melancon said when asked if he knows what his role will be. "I don't know if there's been a definitive answer on that yet. But we have a really good bullpen. I'm here to help that. So wherever that fits."

That fit might come in the ninth inning, according to manager Jayce Tingler.

"He's certainly a candidate for that, as are some other guys that we have here in camp," Tingler said. "What he brings is a lot of success. He's closed out a lot of games. He's a trustworthy guy, and he's driven to win."

Kela's deal wasn't yet final when Tingler spoke, so the Padres skipper didn't address it. But sources indicated that Kela could be in the closer mix, too, though he's more likely destined for a setup role.

Melancon posted a 2.78 ERA in 23 games with the Braves last season and brings a wealth of postseason experience. Kela, meanwhile, had his 2020 season shut down after three appearances due to a forearm injury, but he recorded a 2.12 ERA in 32 games for the Pirates in '19.

On the heels of a busy offseason, the bullpen was the lone area of the Padres' roster that general manager A.J. Preller waited to address. But the additions of Melancon and Kela go a long way toward giving San Diego the deep bullpen mix it has been searching for. Assuming those four closer candidates anchor the back end, the Padres envision 12 big league-caliber arms competing for the last four or five spots in their 'pen.

That kind of roster depth and talent -- both in the 'pen and elsewhere -- is precisely what Melancon said drove him to sign with San Diego.

"It was more about the winning part of it," Melancon said. "It was a pretty easy decision once [the Padres] were in the mix."

Yu's got jokes
Yu Darvish has a creative solution to the issue of whether pitchers should hit in the National League.

"I wish they had some kind of rule that pitchers that are over 33 have the right whether they want to hit or whether they want to use a DH," Darvish said through an interpreter.

Not coincidentally, Darvish is 34.

Darvish threw his first bullpen session of Spring Training on Thursday after playing catch with fellow newcomer Joe Musgrove. (He noted that Musgrove has "some really nasty stuff.")

Darvish also addressed the strides he made with the Cubs over the past two seasons that took him to the top of his game. He's added a handful of different pitches to his repertoire and significantly cut down his walk rate. Darvish finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting last season, before he was dealt to the Padres in December.

"I'm a little bit better now when I compare it to the time when I was with Texas, or even the time I was in Japan," Darvish said. "I feel like I've definitely heightened the level of my game. I think I'm at a pretty good place right now."

Injury updates
• To make room for Melancon and Kela on the 40-man roster, the Padres added right-handers Mike Clevinger and Trey Wingenter to the 60-day injured list. Both Clevinger and Wingenter are expected to miss the season because of Tommy John surgery (though it's possible Wingenter makes a late-season return).

• The Padres will almost certainly take it slowly with José Castillo this spring. The left-hander has pitched only two-thirds of an inning across the past two seasons because of various ailments -- a left flexor strain, a left lat strain and a left middle finger injury. But he's part of their regular bullpen sessions right now, and Tingler said he's "full-go."

"When he's healthy, and when he's right, it's mid-to-upper 90s, and in my opinion he's got one of the best left-handed sliders in the game," Tingler said. "He needs to catch some breaks. He needs some good health on his side. What he's missing is consistency and innings."

• Right-handed pitching prospect Reggie Lawson, who underwent Tommy John surgery last March, is throwing bullpen sessions, though using his fastball almost exclusively, Tingler said. Lawson isn't far from joining pitchers' fielding practice, and a first-half return seems likely, barring any setbacks. Lawson would presumably open the season in the Minors, but he could serve as valuable starting depth down the road.