Merrill went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's 7-5 win over the Nationals.
The center fielder took Mitchell Parker deep in the seventh inning for what proved to be the game-winning hit -- Merrill's first long ball since May 4 and his first of the season against a left-handed pitcher. During his 19-game homer drought, he slashed a paltry .162/.250/.235 with five doubles, three RBI and four runs, but he did chip in four steals. Friday's clutch blast could be a sign he's beginning to find his rhythm at the plate.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Double, steal in return
Rotowire
Merrill (ribs) went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Athletics.
Merrill missed one game while recovering from a collision with the outfield wall he sustained in Wednesday's game versus the Dodgers. He had one of the Padres' two hits Saturday and also picked up his 10th steal of the season, which was his second in his last four games. The outfielder's speed rebounding is a positive sign after he stole just one base on three attempts in the 2025 regular season. It's about the only thing that's going right for him this year -- he's batting .206 with a .606 OPS, four home runs, 19 RBI, 24 runs scored and 10 doubles over 48 contests.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Pulled early Wednesday
Rotowire
Merrill was removed from Wednesday's game against the Dodgers with an apparent back injury, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
The young outfielder appeared to tweak something while trying to rob Shohei Ohtani's home run in the first inning, and Merrill was later taken out of the game at the start of the fifth. The Padres will likely send him for imaging to determine the specifics of his injury. If he has to miss any time, Bryce Johnson would be in line to pick up starts in center field.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Not in Thursday's lineup
Rotowire
Merrill is out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale against Milwaukee.
The lefty-swinging Merrill is sitting out for the final game of the series against the Brewers as San Diego faces southpaw Kyle Harrison. Merrill went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Wednesday and has gone 2-for-22 over his past six contests. The 23-year-old will most likely be back in the starting lineup Friday as San Diego heads to Seattle to take on right-hander Emerson Hancock in the series opener.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Big performance from top of lineup
Rotowire
Merrill went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Giants.
He's gone 8-for-17 (.471) over four contests in May, adding a home run, three RBI and two steals. Merrill was atop the lineup for just the second time all season, as Ramon Laureano was given the day off Tuesday. Merrill's recent hitting should help him turn his season around. Even with the hot stretch, he's at a .235 average and .673 OPS for the year. The outfielder has added four homers, seven steals, 18 RBI, 22 runs scored and seven doubles over 34 contests.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Merrill is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the White Sox on Friday.
Merrill has struggled at the plate as of late, having gone 4-for-42 (.095) with one steal, two RBI and a 37.5 percent strikeout rate over his last 11 games. He'll take a seat for Friday's series opener while Bryce Johnson gets the start in center field and bats ninth.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Notches fifth steal
Rotowire
Merrill went 1-for-3 with a walk, one RBI and one stolen base in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Rockies.
Merrill opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. Prior to Wednesday, he had gone 0-for-16 with 10 strikeouts over his previous four games. The outfielder has run streaky early in 2026, leading to a lackluster .217/.280/.380 slash line over 101 plate appearances. He's added three home runs, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored, six doubles and five stolen bases across 24 contests.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Racks up three hits in victory
Rotowire
Merrill went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and a stolen base Tuesday in a 4-1 win over Seattle.
Merrill notched one of the Padres' two extra-base hits in the game and recorded the team's only theft. The star outfielder seems to be turning things around after a slow start to the season, as he's batting .467 (7-for-15) with a home run, two doubles, four RBI, six runs and two steals over his past four games. Prior to the surge, Merrill had hit just .184 across his first 13 contests of the campaign.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Riding pine Saturday
Rotowire
Merrill isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox.
Merrill doesn't typically step out of the lineup against left-handed starters, but after a 5-for-27 (.185) start to the season, he'll sit on the bench, with Connelly Early on the mound for Boston. Bryce Johnson will pick up a start in center field as a result and bat ninth.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Pops homer to conclude postseason
Rotowire
Merrill went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series.
Merrill accounted for the Padres' only run in their loss to the Cubs by leading off the ninth inning with a home run. He had a disappointing regular season but ended the campaign well, tallying eight home runs with 18 RBI and 18 runs scored across his final 22 games -- including the postseason.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Swats homer in loss Wednesday
Rotowire
Merrill went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Merrill accounted for San Diego's only run with a 344-foot solo shot to left field in the sixth inning. The second-year outfielder has picked up his power of late, belting six home runs over his past 12 games. Merrill is batting .306 during that span with 11 runs scored and eight RBI, although he's also struck out at a 29.4 percent clip.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Lifts 12th homer
Rotowire
Merrill went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 11-3 win over the Rockies.
Merrill has three homers among eight hits over his last seven games, though he's also struck out nine times in that span. Nonetheless, the outfielder appears to have regained some power that was largely absent for much of the of the campaign. He's now at 12 homers, 57 RBI, 48 runs scored, one stolen base and a .257/.313/.432 slash line through 103 games this season.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: First homer since IL stint
Rotowire
Merrill went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored during Sunday's 8-1 win over the Rockies.
The Padres reinstated Merrill from the 10-day injured list Monday, and the center fielder went 1-for-13 with four strikeouts in his first five games. He broke out of the slump in a major way Sunday, delivering a pair of extra-base hits, including a second-inning home run off Tanner Gordon. The long ball was Merrill's 10th in 406 plate appearances this season, which falls well short of his 2024 pace of 24 home runs in 593 plate appearances.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Activated, not starting Monday
Rotowire
The Padres activated Merrill (ankle) from the 10-day injured list, but he'll remain out of the lineup for Monday's series opener versus the Orioles.
Merrill missed the past two weeks of action with a left ankle sprain, but he will bypass a rehab assignment and go directly back onto the Padres' active roster. Ramon Laureano has been filling in in center field in Merrill's absence, but once Merrill rejoins the lineup, Laureano will likely shift to left field, and Gavin Sheets will presumably move into more of a part-time role.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Aiming to return early next week
Rotowire
Merrill (ankle) is getting live at-bats at the Padres' rookie-level affiliate in Arizona and is targeting a return during a three-game series against the Orioles that begins Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Friday.
Merrill becomes eligible for reinstatement Saturday, but he'll need a few extra days before rejoining the Padres' active roster after sustaining a sprained left ankle. While he's been sidelined, Ramon Laureano has handled most of the work in center field, while Gavin Sheets has moved into an everyday left field role.
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Padres' Jackson Merrill: Heads to IL with ankle sprain
Rotowire
The Padres placed Merrill on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a left ankle sprain.
After Merrill was out of the lineup for a sixth straight game Saturday against the Dodgers, the Padres have decided to deactivate the young outfielder with the hope that he'll be ready to return when first eligible 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: Missing fourth straight contest
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
