"Padres Place Jackson Merrill on Injured List, Witness Two Others Depart Due to Injuries"
The Padres of San Diego, who began their game on Tuesday with the best record in the big leagues, will be without Jackson Merrill for a minimum of 10 days after placing the center fielder on the injured list.
Merrill is currently out of commission due to a strained right hamstring. To fill his spot on the roster, Oscar Gonzalez was called up from Triple-A El Paso.
Manager Mike Schildt stated before the Padres faced the Athletics on Tuesday night in West Sacramento, Calif., "The positive news is that at this time, it doesn't seem to be anything too serious. There wasn't a sudden event that caused it. There was some tightness that is clearly real. He is diligently working, as expected, to receive treatment.
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"We just felt that it would be close to the 10-day mark. Instead of playing short-handed, we decided to take care of it now."
Merrill, who is 21 years old, has a batting average of .378 with a .415 on-base percentage, a .676 slugging percentage, three home runs, and 10 RBIs in 10 games this season.
Last season, he was the runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year award after hitting .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 156 games.
On April 2, Merrill and the Padres agreed to a nine-year, $135 million contract extension that will last until 2034, with the team having a $30 million option for 2035.
Gonzalez, who is 27 years old, played a total of 145 games for the Guardians in 2022 and 2023 but has not returned to the majors since. He has a career batting line of .269/.299/.413 for Cleveland with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs.
In seven games for El Paso this year, he has a batting average of .290/.353/.677 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
Brandon Lockridge started in center field for San Diego on Tuesday. Gonzalez came off the bench to play left field after second baseman Jake Cronenworth appeared to sustain an injury while grounding out in the third inning.
