A former Blue Jay is finding success with an old friend.

After signing a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres just before Spring Training, Ty France has made the Opening Day roster for the Friars. Manager Craig Stammen informed the media this past weekend about the decision.

France started his big league career with the Padres, a 34th-round pick of the organization in 2015. He would make his big league debut in 2019, and in 2020, he would be traded to the Seattle Mariners, where he spent the next four seasons. He would be DFA’d just before the trade deadline in 2024 and traded to the Cincinnati Reds, finishing the campaign in the NL Central.

The infielder would sign a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for the 2025 season and the Blue Jays acquired him and reliever Louis Varland at the deadline in exchange for prospects Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden.

Across both squads, France posted a .257/.320/.360 slash line with a .681 OPS. Following the trade, the California product saw an uptick in his line metrics outside of OBP (.277/.320/.372) with one home run, six doubles, and eight RBIs across 37 games. An oblique injury late in the season saw him land on the IL, but he returned for the World Series, appearing in two games and collecting one hit and one RBI.

Spending most of the season at first base, France won his first Gold Glove Award, finishing the year with a .996 fielding percentage and a +9 DRS.

This spring with San Diego, France posted a .306 average with four doubles, two home runs, and 12 RBIs across 19 games.

With the recent roster news, France will likely be working off the bench with Gavin Sheets being the likely everyday first baseman for the Padres. He also spent some time at third base and second base this spring, making him a bench option for other infield spots as well.

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