San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill is on his way to MLB superstardom. Merrill is following up his breakout rookie campaign with a strong sophomore season for the Padres. But the 22-year-old All-Star could miss some time after getting banged up in Saturday’s matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Merrill was caught stealing to end the seventh inning. But the tag by Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte nailed him in the head, forcing his batting helmet down hard on his face. After being tagged out, Merrill stayed down on the infield dirt near second base for some time, in obvious pain.
The Padres’ trainers quickly came out to check on the center fielder and eventually he was able to walk off the field under his own power, flanked by staffers. But Merrill wasn’t able to stay in the game.
Following the contest, manager Mike Shildt said that Merrill is feeling “woozy,” according to The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Annie Heilbrunn on X. Shildt added that the team has not yet decided if they’ll place him in the concussion protocol.
Padres’ star Jackson Merrill forced from Diamondbacks game
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Merrill missed a wild finish Saturday. The Padres led 5-3 when he was forced from the game with the injury after the seventh inning. San Diego then added two insurance runs in the ninth to take a commanding 7-3 lead over Arizona. But it ultimately didn’t matter as the Diamondbacks put up five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, pulling off the stunning 8-7 win on Josh Naylor’s walk-off RBI.
Just a week ago the Padres were closing in on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. San Diego was just a game out of first place and looked poised to take the lead in the division. But the Padres have now lost three straight games and seven of their last 10. San Diego is now 38-31 on the season and three games behind the first-place Dodgers.
However, the Padres are still very much in the NL Wild Card hunt. And the team could decide to go all-in at the trade deadline to improve their chances at a deep playoff run. Last season San Diego finished 93-69 and reached the NLDS, eventually losing to the Dodgers 3-2 in the best-of-five series. Still, Merrill will be key to any hope the Padres have of making the postseason. His injury status will be closely monitored.
