Manny Machado, the veteran third baseman for the San Diego Padres, has hit another rough patch, suffering an injury setback during Monday’s painful loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This news hits hard for a team already watching their final NL wild card spot start to feel less secure.
Machado’s Season So Far Is a Head-Scratcher
It’s Machado’s eighth season with the Padres, and honestly, it’s been pretty underwhelming for a guy of his caliber. He is sporting a .215 batting average, a .304 on base percentage, and a .711 OPS. Sure, he’s still got some pop with 24 home runs and 72 RBIs, but the contact just isn’t there like we are used to seeing from a seven time All Star. The Padres are locked into an 11 year, $350 million extension with him through 2033, so they have no choice but to ride this out and hope he turns it around. This team needs him to be the superstar he can be.
A Bruised Finger and Mounting Pressure
Monday night was brutal, beyond just the loss. The Padres could not drive in a single runner from scoring position in extra innings, even with multiple chances. Then, manager Craig Stammen confirmed the news everyone dreaded: Machado has a bruise on the inside of his index finger. It gets irritated whenever he connects with the ball off the end of the bat. Stammen mentioned Machado will wear a sleeve now, adding, “hopefully it’s not something that lingers for very long.” Machado’s status is day to day, and it is unclear if he will be in the lineup for Tuesday’s rematch against Pittsburgh. The Padres are holding onto the final NL wild card spot by a thread, with the Arizona Diamondbacks just two games behind them. They absolutely cannot afford to lose Machado to the 10 day injured list right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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