How to watch San Diego Padres games in 2026: Streaming, schedule for Fernando Tatis’ team
The San Diego Padres enter 2026 as baseball’s most entertaining long-term experiment in managed turbulence. It’s a roster that appears prefer it was assembled by a person mainlining espresso and commerce proposals, with simply sufficient star energy and depth to really feel harmful — and simply sufficient volatility to make the entire thing really feel like a team that might both win 95 games or spontaneously combust in late August.
The Padres are coming off a 90-72 season and a second-place NL West end in 2025, then a fast October exit. San Diego was a reminder that good in this division is a knife combat in a telephone sales space, and the margin between internet hosting a playoff sequence and watching the postseason on the sofa is usually a single unhealthy week.
The broader theme stays the identical. The Padres aren’t attempting to get quieter. After all, they signed Nick Castellanos following his unceremonious departure from the Philadelphia Phillies. And Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are nonetheless round, bringing energy to the plate and typically emotions heated in the dugout. They’re attempting to get sharper, shorten games and make October really feel much less like a coin flip.
The Padres are, in different phrases, nonetheless the Padres: a team constructed for highlight moments, dwelling in a sport that more and more slices the highlight into eight totally different streaming subscriptions. The trick for followers is much less about whether or not the Padres are on and extra the place.
Be positive to observe the Padres on TheAthletic and senior author Dennis Lin this season.
You can watch MLB games reside on Fubo (Stream Free Now!) all season.
Padres games on Padres.TV
In-market followers
Most of the 162-game grind will not be on nationwide TV. Instead, the house base is Parents.TVMLB’s bundle for San Diego-area followers (with nationwide exclusives nonetheless blacked out). If your cable or satellite tv for pc service already has it, then you definitely’re set. Otherwise, you may want to join for Padres.TV instantly.
CBS 8 and The CW San Diego can even broadcast 10 regular-season Padres games in 2026, most of them on a Saturday. Those shall be free to watch over the air.
What you want to watch: A supplier with Padres.TV, or a direct-to-consumer team move subscription by way of MLB.TV ($99.99/season). Fans wanting for the in-market Padres.TV move plus the remainder of the league’s out-of-market games can bundle on MLB.TV for $199.99.
Out-of-market followers
If you are Emma Stone or anybody else watching from outdoors the Padres’ dwelling TV territory, you may want MLB.TV for the regional Padres broadcasts.
MLB ticket holders get an computerized MLB.TV login code, and T-Mobile clients get it for free by way of their cell service. Returning MLB.TV subscribers preserve their plans by way of the league.
But as a result of ESPN is promoting and working the bundle, all new sign-ups should come by way of ESPN Unlimited, with a one-month trial included for newcomers. According to TheAthletic‘s Evan Drellichfollowers do not want to preserve the ESPN Unlimited plan to entry the MLB.TV one, at the least not for 2026.
What you want to watch: MLB.TV. It’s $134.99 yearly for ESPN Unlimited subscribers and $149.99 for others.
Padres games on nationwide TV
The nationwide TV companions are sorted alphabetically beneath, with the principle days for MLB motion listed.
ABC/ESPN
Main days: Sunday for ABC, midweek for ESPN
ESPN and MLB have been tied collectively because the 1990 season. The stalwart is not dwelling to “Sunday Night Baseball,” however its reworked settlement offers it 30 regular-season exclusives throughout the 2026 schedule. That slate begins Wednesday, April 15.
Over-the-air guardian community ABC additionally has a trio of telecasts this yr as a part of the 30-game buy.
What you want to watch: ABC is free with an antenna. ABC and ESPN are included with most pay TV suppliers, they usually’re additionally out there with an ESPN Unlimited subscription (beginning at $29.99/month). Some pay TV suppliers, like Fubo and some others, embody ESPN Unlimited with their subscription.
AppleTV
Main day: Friday
This is dwelling to “Friday Night Baseball,” which began in 2022. That weekly window is normally a doubleheader, free from native blackouts however unique to Apple TV.
Here’s one date to circle: The Padres will host the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the second half of a June 26 doubleheader, beginning at 9:45 pm ET/6:45 pm PT.
What you want to watch: An Apple TV subscription (beginning at $12.99/month).
Fox/FS1
Main days: Saturday for Fox, midweek or Saturday for FS1, All-Star Game
There are 23 “Baseball Night in America” Saturday centerpieces lined up on Fox. The community airs two games at 7 pm ET and assigns markets by matchup relevance. For instance, May 16 may have New York’s Subway Series for the East Coast and many of the nation, however audiences out west will get the Padres at Seattle Mariners.
Some Saturdays are doubleheaders with an FS1 sport in the early afternoon. FS1 has a further weekly spot falling on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Fox and FS1 complete greater than 85 regular-season games this yr.
Come October, Fox has the NLDS and NLCS playoff sequence, plus the Fall Classic itself. Joe Davis has been on the World Series name since 2022, when he took over for longtime play-by-play voice Joe Buck. John Smoltz has been the colour commentator since 2016. Fox’s World Series maintain dates again to 2000 and runs by way of at the least 2028.
What you want to watch: Fox is free with an antenna. Fox and FS1 are included with most pay TV suppliers, they usually additionally stream with a Fox One subscription (beginning at $19.99/month).
MLB Network
Main days: Throughout the week
Here’s our backstop, unassuming however dependable. The “MLB Network Showcase” has been round since 2009. The community normally airs a few games every week.
What you want to watch: A pay TV supplier with MLB Network, usually included in customary or sports activities plans. MLB Network additionally streams with an MLB.TV subscription (beginning at $134.99/yr).
NBC/Peacock
Main day: Sunday, Opening Day
“Sunday Night Baseball” migrates from ESPN to NBC and Peacock, because the Universal community returns to reside MLB protection for the primary time in 25 years. NBC, its streamer and the linear NBC Sports Network mix for 27 prime-time games and 34 afternoon ones in 2026.
Some of the Sunday nighters are unique to Peacock, together with the Padres’ May 17 date with the Mariners.
This lineup launches with an Opening Day doubleheader on March 26, and it concludes with the playoff wild-card sequence. To trumpet the return, the community has introduced in some large names, together with Bob Costas, Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto and one-time Father Anthony Rizzo.
Peacock normally has a reside sport in its “MLB Sunday Leadoff” spot, most of them with midday native begins.
What you want to watch: NBC is free with an antenna, however Peacock requires a subscription (beginning at $10.99/month for reside sports activities). NBCSN is included in choose pay TV suppliers.
Netflix
Main days: Opening Night, Home Run Derby, “Field of Dreams”
Already venturing into reside sports activities with NFL Christmas Day, Netflix has three MLB exclusives this season, beginning with the 2026 opener on March 25.
July 13 is the Home Run Derby, airing with All-Star festivities. Aug. 13 is the “Field of Dreams” sport, a neutral-site showcase in Iowa with the Phillies and Minnesota Twins. The Netflix association runs by way of 2028.
What you want to watch: A Netflix subscription (beginning at $7.99/month).
TBS
Main day: Tuesday
TBS Tuesdays proceed in 2026, starting on March 31. The Padres’ first look on the channel shall be one to watch: It will come towards Castellanos’ previous team, the Phillies, on June 2 for Lou Gehrig Day.
TBS additionally has this yr’s ALDS and ALCS playoff rounds.
What you want to watch: A pay TV supplier with TBS, or an HBO Max subscription (beginning at $10.99/month).
Watching in particular person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Padres’ all-time leaderboard
- Hits — Tony Gwynn (3,141)
- HRs —Manny Machado (194)
- RBIs — Tony Gwynn (1,138)
- Wins —Eric Show (100)
- Ks —Jake Peavy (1,348)
- Saves — Trevor Hoffman (552)
Fun truth: San Diego followers have discovered to respect the omens, as a result of that is the franchise that turned to Rally Goose right into a playoff talisman in 2022. One stray chook wandered into the Padres’ postseason story, and the town handled it like a sanctioned religious advisor.
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