SAN DIEGO -- Less than a year ago, the beleaguered Padres arrived in Texas and turned their season around. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s first career grand slam gave birth to Slam Diego, and the Friars rolled the rest of the season -- straight to their first playoff berth in 14 years.

The stakes aren't so high this time around. It's only April, amid a 162-game calendar in 2021. But already, a handful of important questions have emerged.

When the Padres return to Petco Park on April 16, it’ll be the rival Dodgers who greet them. In the meantime, here are six important questions that need to be answered on the team's seven-game trip through Texas and Pittsburgh.

1. What happens at shortstop?
It's been fairly straightforward so far. Ha-Seong Kim on Monday replaced Tatis, who partially dislocated his shoulder on a swing. Kim started at short on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well. The Padres signed Kim to a four-year deal out of Korea during the offseason, and he should get the bulk of the starts at shortstop while Tatis is on the injured list. But he won't get all of them. Jorge Mateo, Jake Cronenworth and Tucupita Marcano are options there as well. The Padres will look to ease Kim into action against high-velocity right-handers.

2. What happens to the outfield when Grisham returns?
Padres center fielder Trent Grisham is expected to be activated on Friday after spending the first week on the injured list with a left hamstring strain. That could change the dynamic of the Padres' offense. Jurickson Profar has made six starts this season -- all in left field. But with Grisham set to return, Profar could become a do-it-all utility man again. With Tatis out, there's suddenly playing time available in the infield. It's conceivable that Profar might play some second base against tough righties, with Cronenworth filling the void at shortstop.

3. How will the Padres align their rotation for L.A.?
With 17 games in 17 days, the Padres have mulled the possibility of using a six-man rotation to ease the burden on their starting pitchers. But -- based on the schedule -- it's hard to envision them doing so on this road trip. As things stand, Yu Darvish and Blake Snell are lined up to face the Dodgers right now. If the Padres were to give swingman Ryan Weathers a start against Pittsburgh, it would bump Snell from that mix in favor of Chris Paddack. That seems unwise. Instead, Weathers is probably destined to remain in the bullpen for now. The earliest the Padres would reasonably go to a six-man rotation would be for their series against the Brewers on April 19-21.

4. Can the 'pen handle the early workload?
Through seven games, the team's greatest strength has been its bullpen, which currently leads the Majors with a 0.91 ERA. But the San Diego relief corps is about to embark on a stretch of 17 games in 17 days -- with mostly one-inning arms. (If Nabil Crismatt is optioned to clear space for either Pierce Johnson or Austin Adams, that would leave Weathers as the team's only long man.) The Padres started the year with their bullpen as a serious question mark. The early returns have been overwhelmingly positive. But a serious test looms.

5. Is Paddack vs. Morejon brewing?
Reports on Dinelson Lamet's progress at the team's alternate training site have been encouraging. Lamet needed just 36 pitches to get through three innings in his most recent alt-site game, as he recovers from the UCL strain that cost him the postseason last year. That could put Lamet on track for an early May return. Adrian Morejon won Lamet's vacant rotation spot with an excellent Spring Training, where he was much sharper than Paddack, the team’s No. 4 starter. When Lamet returns, it might force the Padres to reckon with Paddack's struggles. Then again, Paddack still has a handful of starts to prove he belongs in the rotation.

6. What's next for Tatis?
Tatis is not scheduled to undergo surgery on his partially dislocated shoulder -- welcome news after a stomach-churning scene on Monday. A day later, general manager A.J. Preller said Tatis was feeling much better, and Preller even speculated that he could come off the IL after his minimum 10-day stint. That's the optimistic view. The truth is, the Padres aren't putting a timetable on Tatis' return until they know how his shoulder responds to rest and treatment. Tatis won't travel with the team on the road trip. His absence will be felt -- and the length of that absence is still very much TBD.