The Padres placed Merrill on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Aug. 20, due to a left ankle sprain.
Merrill was held out of Saturday's lineup, marking his sixth straight absence due to the left ankle injury. San Diego tried to give the star center fielder a few days to recover in hopes of avoiding an IL stint, but Merrill's ankle didn't heal quickly enough. He'll be eligible for reinstatement Aug. 30. In the meantime, Ramon Laureano should see most of the work in center field while Gavin Sheets handles left field.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: On bench again
Rotowire
Merrill (ankle) is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.
Merrill is missing from the starting nine for a sixth straight contest Saturday as he continues to tend to a bruised left ankle. It looks as though the Padres are willing to play a man down rather than move Merrill to the injured list, but if Merrill's injury continues to linger, a move could be made. Ramon Laureano will patrol center field Saturday.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Absent from Friday's lineup
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Merrill (ankle) is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Friday.
Merrill will ride the bench for a fifth consecutive game while working through a left ankle contusion that he suffered this past Sunday against the Dodgers. It's not clear whether an IL stint is needed, but the lack of new lockers in the Padres' clubhouse doesn't suggest any player being called up from the minors anytime soon, so Merrill could be available to return at some point during this weekend's home series, per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Ramon Laureano will start in center field and bat seventh.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Missing fourth straight contest
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Merrill (ankle) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.
It's the fourth consecutive start Merrill has missed as he works his way through a bone bruise in his left ankle. Merrill undoubtedly will be aiming to return to action Friday for the start of a big series versus the rival Dodgers, but it doesn't seem to be a given that he'll be ready. Ramon Laureano will shift over to center field and Gavin Sheets will get a start in left field for the Padres on Thursday.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Dealing with bone bruise
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Padres manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday that Merrill (ankle) is dealing with some bone bruising, which can "take awhile to heal," Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
San Diego continues to take things day by day with its star center fielder, but things might be coming to a head with a big series coming up against the Dodgers this weekend. A trip to the 10-day injured list could be needed. Ramon Laureano and Bryce Johnson have been patrolling center during Merrill's absence the last few days.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Remains day-to-day
Rotowire
Merrill (ankle) is not in the Padres' lineup versus the Giants on Tuesday.
Merrill did not play in Monday's series opener against the Giants after departing Sunday's matchup against the Dodgers early due to a left ankle injury. He had been dealing the the injury since Friday. Gavin Sheets, Ramon Laureano and Fernando Tatis are the starting outfielders Tuesday as Merrill heals up on the bench.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Not starting Monday
Rotowire
Merrill (ankle) is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Giants on Monday.
Merrill was forced to leave Sunday's game against the Dodgers after aggravating a left ankle injury that he suffered Friday. He's considered day-to-day for the time being, so he could return to the lineup at some point during the four-game series with San Francisco. Bryce Johnson will start at center field and bat ninth in Merrill's absence.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Dealing with ankle injury
Rotowire
Merrill (ankle) was removed from Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers in the bottom of the fourth inning, Bob Scanlan of Bally Sports San Diego reports.
Merrill rolled his left ankle in Friday's loss to Los Angeles, which apparently got progressively worse over the weekend, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. The outfielder said following Sunday's contest that "it's frustrating" and that "hopefully, I play tomorrow if I wake up, and it feels brand new, but I can't really say anything right now." Manager Mike Shildt classified Merrill as day-to-day for the time being, placing some doubt on his availability for Monday's series opener with the Giants.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Drives in three in win
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Merrill went 1-for-3 with a three-run triple, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Cardinals.
The All-Star break looks to have been exactly what Merrill needed to reset. He hit just .167 with a .560 OPS in his last 20 games before the break, but he's come out of the pause batting .279 with five extra-base hits and 15 RBI over his last 16 contests. The outfielder has a .266/.324/.418 slash line on the year while adding eight home runs, 47 RBI, 39 runs scored, one stolen base, 14 doubles and four triples over 79 games.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Goes deep Saturday
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Merrill went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to St. Louis on Saturday.
Merrill hadn't homered in 15 games coming into Saturday, but he snapped that drought with a solo shot to center field in the third inning. The second-year outfielder's power output has been tepid for over two months -- he has just three long balls over his past 51 contests after going deep five times in his first 29 games of the campaign. Merrill certainly looks to be going through a bit of a sophomore slump, as his steals are also down (from 16 last year to just one this season) and his OPS (.734) is nearly 100 points lower than the .826 mark he posted as a rookie.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Moves past illness, starting Monday
Rotowire
Merrill (illness) will start in center field and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Marlins.
After being scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's 8-1 win over the Nationals, Merrill apparently made enough progress overnight to re-enter the lineup for the series opener in Miami. Though fantasy managers in the majority of leagues will likely still want to keep Merrill active as the Padres open a seven-game week, the 22-year-old has struggled to get going at the plate since returning to action June 22 after a stint on the 7-day injured list due to a concussion. He's slashing just .163/.277/.263 with two home runs, no stolen bases, six RBI and 10 runs over the last month of action.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Breaks slump in big way
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Merrill went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Phillies.
Merrill tied the game at 2-2 with his second-inning homer and then added a solo shot to even things up again at 4-4 in the sixth. The outfielder had gone just 3-for-35 (.086) during a brutal slump over the first 10 games of July, and his pair of homers Saturday ended a 34-game power drought dating back to May 28. The 22-year-old is slashing .263/.326/.417 with seven homers, 32 RBI, 33 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 doubles and two triples over 63 contests. Merrill's slump has seen him drop from the No. 2 spot in the order -- he's hit fifth or sixth over the last five games. The All-Star break should offer him a chance to get a mental reset ahead of the second half.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Batting second in return from IL
Rotowire
Merrill (concussion) was activated from the 7-day injured list and will start in center field and bat second Sunday against the Royals.
The 22-year-old landed on the shelf with a concussion last Sunday and is back on the active roster after missing the minimum amount of time. Merrill was struggling at the plate in June prior to the injury with a .260/.321/.380 slash line and a 28.6 percent strikeout rate in 13 games.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Playing catch
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Merrill (concussion) played catch ahead of Friday's game against the Royals, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Merrill was placed on the 7-day injured list Sunday due to a concussion, and he resumed throwing Friday. While it's an encouraging sign for the star center fielder, he may miss more time than the required seven days.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Heading to concussion IL
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The Padres are expected to place Merrill on the 7-day injured list Sunday due to a concussion, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The 22-year-old suffered the head injury Saturday when he was tagged in the head on an attempted steal, and he'll be unavailable for at least the next week as he enters the concussion protocol. Brandon Lockridge will start in center field Sunday and should see a boost in playing time, along with Tyler Wade, while Merrill is sidelined.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Lifts fifth homer
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Merrill went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and two total runs scored in Tuesday's 8-6 win over the Marlins.
Merrill provided an insurance run with his eighth-inning blast, closing the scoring on the Padres' comeback win. He's gone 9-for-39 (.231) with two extra-base hits and a 4:10 BB:K over his last 10 contests. The talented outfielder is still hitting .333 with a .907 OPS this season, and he has five home runs, 19 RBI, 18 runs scored, one stolen base, five doubles and one triple over 28 contests. He has hit safely in five of the last six games, so he may be turning things around despite the recent slump.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Three hits in return from illness
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Merrill (illness) went 3-for-4 with an RBI triple and two runs scored in Monday's 9-5 loss to the Angels.
Merrill missed one back while under the weather, but it shouldn't be an issue moving forward. In his return to the lineup, he delivered his fifth straight multi-hit effort since a month-long absence with a hamstring injury. The last three of those games have featured three or more hits each. In other words, he hasn't lost any momentum after a blistering start to the season prior to his stay on the injured list. He's batting .467 with four home runs, 17 RBI, 14 runs scored, four doubles, one triple and a stolen base across 65 plate appearances.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Back in action after illness
Rotowire
Merrill (illness) will start in center field and bat cleanup in Monday's game versus the Angels.
Merrill had to be scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Rockies due to illness, but he's ready to go a day later. The 22-year-old is 11-for-19 at the dish in four games since returning from a hamstring injury.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Racks up four more hits Saturday
Rotowire
Merrill went 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBI in a 21-0 win against Colorado on Saturday.
Merrill paced San Diego with four hits in the rout, though none of his knocks went for extra bases. The star young outfielder has been on quite a roll since returning from the injured list May 6, collecting multiple hits in all four contests so far and going 11-for-19 with a home run and six RBI during that span. The scorching stretch has pushed Merrill's season slash line to an absurd .446/.475/.732 through 61 plate appearances.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Activated Tuesday
Rotowire
The Padres reinstated Merrill (hamstring) from the injured list Tuesday.
After spending nearly a month on the injured list due to a strained right hamstring, Merrill will rejoin the active roster and reclaim his role as San Diego's everyday center fielder. The 22-year-old went 2-for-6 with a walk and two runs scored during his two-game rehab assignment at Double-A San Antonio, and he'd been slashing .378/.415/.676 in the majors before getting injured. Luis Campusano was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
