PEORIA, Ariz. -- It's not too late for MacKenzie Gore to make a late-spring push for a spot on the Padres' roster. But first, he needs to cut it out with all those walks.

Gore, MLB Pipeline's top-ranked pitching prospect, posted his cleanest outing of the spring on Tuesday. But it still wasn't without a couple hiccups.

Gore pitched two scoreless relief innings in the Padres' 4-3 loss to the White Sox. The only hit he allowed was a check-swing shift-beater. But Gore also walked two, as the control problems that have plagued him all spring persisted.

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Across six Cactus League innings, Gore has walked six hitters. In the eyes of manager Jayce Tingler, there’s only one thing Gore needs to do to prove his readiness for the big leagues.

"We're really, really confident his stuff's going to play," Tingler said. "It's just a matter of getting more of the pitches in the zone consistently."

Tingler cautioned against reading into Gore's relief appearance. There simply aren't enough starts to go around, he said.

The Padres remain committed to building Gore toward a starter's workload. In their search for a long-relief option, it’s far likelier that fellow left-handers Adrian Morejon and Ryan Weathers could fill that role.

Still, Tingler wouldn't rule out that possibility for Gore.

"We're going to be looking for the best 26 at the end of [camp]," Tingler said. "If that's a starting role, it's a starting role. Could it be a swingman? We're looking for the right 26 to break with, so I'd say it's pretty open-ended."

To go along with the opening in long relief, the final place in the Padres' rotation would also be up for grabs if Dinelson Lamet isn't fully built up by Opening Day.

Gore would be in the mix, if he can just get those control problems under control.

Johnson exits early
Right-hander Pierce Johnson exited his relief outing early on Tuesday because of tightness in his groin, Tingler said. Johnson faced three batters in the ninth inning, striking out a pair before issuing a walk.

Tingler noted that Johnson first experienced the tightness when he landed a bit awkwardly on the Peoria Stadium mound. Johnson will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.

The Padres can ill afford to lose another reliever. They're already without José Castillo (Tommy John surgery), Matt Strahm (right knee surgery) and Javy Guerra (UCL sprain).

Musgrove goes four
Joe Musgrove became the first Padres starter to work four innings this spring, even though his defense did him no favors.

Across those four innings, the Padres committed four errors, and all three runs Musgrove surrendered were unearned. He struck out four and walked two while allowing three hits.

Tingler called it, “the sloppiest game we’ve played in a long time.” Musgrove viewed it in a more positive light.

"For what it's worth, being in Spring Training, it's nice to get to go through some of those jams, where your defense isn't super sharp behind you, and you've got to stay focused," said Musgrove, who lowered his Cactus League ERA to 2.00. "Just execute pitches one way after another and try to get yourself out of jams the best you can."

That's one way of looking at it.

Musgrove was also struck by a sharp comebacker that hit the base of his glove, then ricocheted off his left shoulder in the second inning. He was evaluated by team trainers for a few moments but remained in the game.

Worth noting
• Fernando Tatis Jr. was slated to go through a workout on Tuesday, as he builds back slowly from the flu and some general soreness that he sustained while diving headfirst into home plate on Saturday. Those plans were called off when the skies broke loose and it began to rain and hail on Tuesday morning during the Padres' scheduled workout time.

• Wil Myers returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing three games because of a mildly sore right knee. He went 1-for-2 with a double.