Padres’ Craig Stammen gets 100% real by calling out his own ‘dumb move’

The San Diego Padres have found one of the biggest surprises of their 2026 season, and even Craig Stammen admits the team almost made a major mistake.

That mistake? Not giving Ty France enough opportunities early in the year. France has become one of the most important players on the Padres’ roster, helping fuel their recent push back into the National League playoff race. But according to Stammen, he knows he could have handled France’s situation differently, via MLB Network Radio.

"It was a dumb move by the manager to not play [Ty France] as much as he should've!" #Padres | @Padres
https://t.co/fGPbvbj8w4 pic.twitter.com/R3IuoSqgin

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) July 31, 2026

“It’s been awesome to have Ty (France). I used to play with Ty when he first came up as a rookie. He was trying to play third base, but we had a guy named (Manny) Machado over there, so he moved to first base for the first time. He would thank Manny all the time for moving him over to first.”

“At the beginning of the season, he was a bench player and not playing a ton. You know, dumb move by the manager to not play him as much as he should have. Now, he is the everyday first baseman for us. Gold Glove first base and one of the best hitters in our lineup, hitting in the cleanup spot. If we did not have him, we would be in tough shape.”

The Padres brought France back this season after trading him to the Seattle Mariners in 2020, and the reunion has turned into one of the best moves the franchise has made this season. After beginning the year as a part-time player, France has forced his way into an everyday role and has become a middle-of-the-order presence.

The offense struggled for much of the season, but France has been one of the players helping turn things around alongside stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.

The Padres are now fighting for a postseason spot, and France’s emergence could be the difference between watching October baseball and participating in it.

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