Padres notes: Fernando Tatis Jr. scratched, Jackson Merrill activated, pinch runs

Fernando Tatis Jr. grabbed at his right hamstring after trying to make a play in the seventh inning on Sunday in Minnesota. He exited shortly after as part of mass substitutions in a lopsided loss and after the game said he planned to play Monday.

And he did, until he was scratched less than a half-hour before Monday’s first pitch.

The lower half tightness as termed by the Padres was enough to rule him out for even a ninth-inning, pinch-hit opportunity in a 4-3 loss to the Orioles.

Tatis had left before the home clubhouse opened after the game.

“This has been a grindy stretch,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “And again, no one’s going to make excuses for us, but travel across the country and playing day games, it can be a challenge. And just showed up. He’s been playing his tail off. He’s been grinding and he’s been competing like the rest of the boys. And it’s kind of that time of year a little bit, and just some lower half soreness that, you know, we thought we’d be responsible and get ahead of today. And so gave him the day off and we’ll evaluate moving forward.”

Merrill activated, returns as pinch-runner

His left ankle taped, Jackson Merrill ran the bases Monday afternoon. He was activated off the 10-day injured list as rosters expanded as they do on the first day of September, but Shildt considered his activity before the afternoon first pitch to be a final hurdle.

So the Padres’ 22-year-old center field was not in the lineup Monday.

But he at least was cleared for a pinch-running opportunity, replacing Will Wagner after the rookie beat out a potential inning-ending double play in the ninth inning.

However, Merrill did not take that at-bat against Orioles left-hander Keegan Akin, Shildt said, because he hadn’t seen MLB-caliber pitching in more than two weeks.

“(Merrill) has not taken an at-bat and Wagner’s taken great at-bats,” Shildt said. “And talking with the guys who felt like Wagner was — Akin’s a reverse guy. So took our shot with Wagner and Jackson will be in there tomorrow.”

Merrill was on the Seattle leg of the road trip but shifted to the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz., while the team was in Minnesota. He ramped up the baseball activity and faced live pitching on Friday and Saturday, used Sunday to recover and was preparing for pregame work Monday when he spoke with reporters.

“I’m ready to go,” he said.

Asked if he’s managing any kind of pain tolerance, Merrill said: “I’m good. … That’s what I’m going to roll with.”

Merrill sprained his ankle trying to get out of the batter’s box in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, played the next day and was pulled from the Aug. 17 game after striking out in his first two at-bats. The team did not place him on the injury list until Aug. 23, backdated to Aug. 20.

That would have allowed Merrill to return from the injured list on Saturday in Minnesota, but the team erred on the side of caution, as they did again with making him pass a final hurdle on Monday.

“(It’s hard) for me personally,” Merrill said of the last week, “but I trust in what they thought was smart. Roll with it. But we’re here now. It’s time to go hard down the stretch.”

Notable

• The Padres are able to expand the active roster from 26 to 28 for the last month of the season, so in addition to activating Merrill on Monday, the team called up RHP Sean Reynolds from Triple-A El Paso. Reynolds has a 5.55 ERA in 24⅓ innings this year in the majors and a 3.42 ERA in 23⅔ innings at Triple-A El Paso.
• RHP Humberto Cruz, the Padres’ No. 3 prospect as ranked by MLB.com, last week underwent a procedure to repair his ulnar collateral ligament with an internal brace. A timeline for recovery isn’t as long as the 12-14 months for Tommy John surgery, but Cruz is 18, so the Padres can be deliberate with his road back. Cruz signed for $750,000 as part the Padres’ 2024 international class. He was 0-7 with a 7.58 ERA, 35 strikeouts and a 1.53 WHIP in 38 innings split between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and low Single-A Lake Elsinore.
• The Padres signed C Martín Maldonado to a minor league deal. He is in Arizona ramping back up to remain an option in the event of an injury. Maldonado hit .204/.245/.327 in 161 plate appearances before he was released after the Padres traded for Freddy Fermin.
• 1B Luis Arraez’s three-hit game pushed his career total to 1,000.