WEST SACRAMENTO -- Off to one of the best starts in franchise history, the 2025 Padres could be facing some serious early adversity -- three injuries worth of adversity.
Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth are all dealing with some measure of injury concern following the Padres' 10-4 loss to the A's at Sutter Health Park on Tuesday night.
Before the game, Merrill landed on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring tightness -- and the injury concerns compounded rather quickly from there. Cronenworth exited before the bottom of the third inning and Tatis before the bottom of the fifth. Both appeared to injure themselves while swinging.
After the game, Tatis and Cronenworth each expressed optimism that they would avoid joining Merrill on the IL. But both are expected to miss Wednesday¡¯s series finale -- Tatis with left shoulder discomfort and Cronenworth with a contusion on his right side. (Cronenworth was struck in the ribs by a fastball on Sunday in Chicago; Tuesday¡¯s injury was cramping related to that contusion.)
¡°Everybody knows it¡¯s part of the game,¡± Tatis said. ¡°So it¡¯s up to us now, how we turn the page. Just bounce back as quick and smart as possible.¡±
Of the two, the Tatis injury is clearly more concerning, given that it¡¯s the same shoulder he had surgically repaired late in 2022. During a second-inning walk, Tatis swung and missed at an offspeed pitch from A's lefty Jeffrey Springs and instantly winced in pain. Tatis said he aggravated it slightly while sliding into third base later in the game.
After the top of the fifth inning, Tatis exited the game and retreated to the center-field clubhouse for treatment. He said that, speaking from experience, he is confident the injury won't linger.
¡°I have felt this before,¡± Tatis said. ¡°I have dealt with this before, multiple times, different ways. So it¡¯s something that we can definitely handle. ¡ For me, it¡¯s just let¡¯s see how we wake up tomorrow.
¡°I¡¯m not going on the IL or nothing like that. So, day to day so far.¡±
The Padres can only cross their fingers and hope. Tatis has been a driving force behind their red-hot start to the season after moving into the leadoff spot. He¡¯s hitting .364 with a .965 OPS and five stolen bases.
¡°[He¡¯s] checking out medically,¡± manager Mike Shildt said. ¡°Everything seems to be intact, in good shape, strength good. He¡¯s not overly concerned. So we erred on the side of caution tonight, and we¡¯ll evaluate.¡±
Cronenworth, meanwhile, hit a grounder to second base in the top of the third inning and instantly came up hobbled. In obvious discomfort, he did not run down the line, and was promptly attended to by a team trainer. Cronenworth left the game between innings.
He expects to miss Wednesday¡¯s game. The Padres are off on Thursday, but ¡
¡°I think I should be good to go for Friday,¡± said Cronenworth, who has notched an .895 OPS through 12 games this season.
Before Tuesday¡¯s game, the Padres recalled outfielder Oscar Gonzalez to take Merrill¡¯s place on the roster. After traveling from El Paso to Sacramento, Gonzalez made the jog from the clubhouse to the visitor¡¯s dugout in the middle of the second inning.
An inning later, he was in the game after Cronenworth¡¯s exit. Jose Iglesias, who was playing the outfield for the first time in his professional career, moved from left field to a more comfortable spot at second base. (Presumably, Iglesias will continue to man second for as long as Cronenworth is out.)
Upon Cronenworth¡¯s exit, the game spiraled on the Padres and starter Dylan Cease, who equaled a career high with nine runs allowed across four innings. Thrust into a tricky situation, Gonzalez immediately misplayed a third-inning single as part of a three-run frame for the A¡¯s.
Two innings later, Tatis was out of the game, too -- with Jason Heyward replacing him in right field in a more conventional swap.
At the very least, the Padres seem destined to play Wednesday¡¯s finale without three of their best players -- two of whom are expected to remain on the roster, leaving them short-handed.
¡°What I¡¯m confident will happen: Guys will step up and perform,¡± Shildt said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a good club. We¡¯ve got a lot of good parts to it. We¡¯ve got guys that are more than capable of showing up tomorrow and helping us win a Major League Baseball game.¡±