Two days until the Padres fly halfway across the world. There's room for 31 players on their trans-Pacific flight to Korea.

As has always been the case with international games, Major League Baseball has a slightly different set of roster rules for the Padres' series against the Dodgers in Seoul. Those rules are necessary, with the difficulties of travel and the need to have enough players to cover two exhibition games in the buildup to Opening Day as well.

Gameday rosters will remain at 26. But the Padres can bring as many as five additional players with them to Korea. In that group of five, three will technically remain part of the big league roster, without needing to be optioned.

• Projecting the Padres' Opening Day roster

That's particularly useful, given the two exhibition games against Team Korea and the LG Twins. It's possible the pitchers who start those games will take two of the spots on the taxi squad. It's also possible the Padres use those extra spots to hang onto some of their players who can't be optioned.

But most importantly, the Padres need to ensure they're properly reinforced for any contingency that may arise in Korea. Here's one look at how they might use those extra travelling spots.

1. A third catcher: Probably Brett Sullivan, though non-roster invitee Kevin Plawecki remains in camp as well.

2. A sixth starter: If the race for the final two rotation spots is currently among Matt Waldron, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Pedro Avila, it seems likely that at least three of them would make the trip.

3. A bench piece: The race for bench spots, as manager Mike Shildt has said, is "fierce." Tyler Wade, Eguy Rosario and Matthew Batten are vying for utility roles. Perhaps there's room to take an extra from that group on the plane, given how many positions they cover. Or maybe the Padres will bring an extra outfielder, given the uncertainty there.

4. A reliever: There are so many relievers still in the mix, and considering the uncertain nature of pitching early in the season, it can't hurt to have extra arms on hand.

5. Another pitcher: It's always possible the Padres would elect to bring an extra bat. Fifteen arms should be more than enough to play four games in six days. But a 16th couldn't hurt.

“We’re trying to put the jigsaw puzzle together,” Shildt said. “We’ve got a lot of moving parts to it.”

Who is the youngest Opening Day center fielder in Padres history?

A. Manuel Margot
B. Cameron Maybin
C. Kevin McReynolds
D. Jerry Morales

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

• Manny Machado seems destined to open the season at DH, which means the Padres have a temporary opening at third base. I broke down the candidates to fill that vacancy. Story >

• In the past 50 years, only two players have started in center field on Opening Day before turning 21. Jackson Merrill might soon be joining that very exclusive group. Story >

• Our Thomas Harrigan has a great in-depth look at Michael King’s transition to a full-time starting role, breaking down his pitch mix. Story >

ROTATION STATEMENT

In the race for the final two places in the starting rotation, Waldron and Brito got a chance to make their closing arguments this weekend.

If you ask me, they should probably get their passports ready.

On Saturday, Waldron pitched 4 1/3 innings against White Sox regulars, deftly navigating traffic to allow one run as he lowered his spring ERA to 1.35.

On Sunday, Brito pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against Angels regulars, striking out six -- including Mike Trout twice. He lowered his spring ERA to 2.08.

After each start, Shildt was asked what more Waldron and Brito could have done to earn a roster spot. Both times he gave a version of this answer:

“Effectively, nothing.”

Vásquez, Avila and Drew Thorpe remain in big league camp, and it’s entirely possible the Padres would carry six starters on their Opening Day roster. (They’ll almost certainly travel with at least six, as noted above.)

Vásquez has been mostly sharp, save for his most recent start. Thorpe hasn’t allowed a run over three Cactus League innings. (He’s slated to start again Tuesday.) Brito and Waldron may be leading the race for the final two spots, but their competition has been strong, too.

“It says they showed up ready to compete, and they’ve taken advantage of the opportunity,” Shildt said.

To be clear: Yes, it’s only Spring Training. The Padres still have major question marks here. But the way they see it, these spring numbers are much better than the alternative.

ANOTHER BAT IN THE BENCH MIX

Brad Miller arrived on Wednesday after signing a Minor League deal with an invite to big league camp. He’s played in every game since, as the Padres attempt to get a look at the veteran infielder in their search for lefty-hitting bench bats.

“It’s been a quick couple of days in camp, getting to meet everybody, getting all the names and faces,” Miller said. “It’s an exciting team and obviously a team that has a lot of competition going on right now. … When the opportunity came up, I got on the plane as soon as possible.”

Miller played for Shildt in St. Louis in 2020, where he posted one of his best seasons. Across his 11-year career, he’s played all four infield spots and all three outfield spots. With the Padres, Miller is expected to play mostly first base, though he’ll get reps at third and in left as well.

A. Margot

He was 22 when he started in center field for the Padres on Opening Day 2017.