San Diego Padres DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The San Diego Padres have activated outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) off the 10-day injured list prior to their contest against the New York Yankees on Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the Padres optioned backstop Luis Campusano to Triple-A El Paso. The sophomore outfielder has been sidelined since April 6 with a right hamstring strain. Before his injury, the former top prospect was enjoying an impressive start to his second MLB season, holding a .378/.415/.676 slash line with three home runs and one stolen base. During his debut campaign in 2024, Merrill was the everyday center fielder and posted a solid .292/.326/.500 line with 24 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect Merrill to remain a high-end OF2 given his five-category potential.

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Robert Suarez closed out the Padres' wild comeback win at a soggy Yankee Stadium on Monday night. After the Yankees' bullpen faltered in the eighth, giving up four runs, Suarez slammed the door with a perfect ninth inning. He struck out Anthony Volpe to start the inning and Jasson Dominguez to end the contest, earning his 14th save of the season. He has more saves than any other pitcher in Major League Baseball and has given up just one run in 16 innings this season while racking up 18 strikeouts and allowing just five hits and four walks. He'll continue to be an elite closer for the Padres as they continue their road trip with two more games in the Bronx before heading to Colorado for three games this weekend.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) has been traveling on Monday and is believed to have arrived in New York only a short while ago, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. The plan is for Merrill to come off the 10-day injured list and play in the second game of the series in the Bronx against the Yankees on Tuesday. Brandon Lockridge will make the start in center field on Monday and will hit ninth against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon, who he has never faced. In addition to traveling on Monday, it's a rainy and wet day in New York, so the Padres aren't going to risk throwing Merrill back out there in those conditions. He's been out since early April with a strained right hamstring, but he's on the cusp on returning and should be thrown back in all starting fantasy lineups immediately. The 22-year-old was on fire before his injury, slashing .378/.415/.676 with a 1.090 OPS in 37 at-bats.

San Diego Padres infielder Xander Bogaerts is off to a slow start this season, but he put together a nice game on Sunday. Bogaerts opened up the scoring in the first inning with a RBI single. He would drive in two more runs with a double in the second frame. This was a surprising productive day from Bogaerts who has been in a bad slump recently. He finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI, a stolen base, and a walk in the win. Despite the slow start, Bogaerts has a good enough track record to warrant rostering in most fantasy formats.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and a strikeout in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 32-year-old gave the Friars their first run of the game when he took Pirates pitcher Bailey Falter deep in the top of the seventh inning, spoiling his bid at a win. It was a 391-foot solo shot that left the bat at 114.3 MPH, accounting for his third home run and hardest-hit ball of the year. He's up to a strong .280 average now, to go along with 20 runs scored and six stolen bases. Machado is on pace to easily surpass his 2024 steal total of 11, and has dropped his strikeout rate from last season, too -- all while garnering a hard-hit ball nearly 10% more often (57.9%). He's also underperforming his xBA by a good bit (.326).