Padres notes: Merrill not on IL (yet); O’Hearn left out; King throws; Fermin plays

Jackson Merrill was out of the lineup Monday but not yet on the injured list.

“We’re evaluating whether he’ll be available for anything at all, which we’re not certain about right now, and then evaluating whether it’s day-to-day or something longer,” manager Mike Shildt said before the Padres’ game against the Giants at Petco Park.

Merrill rolled his left ankle breaking out of the box on a base hit in Friday’s ninth inning. He played the full game Saturday but was pulled after batting in the fourth inning Sunday.

He was limping fairly significantly Monday afternoon.

“We’ll know more today, so I can’t say definitely,” Shildt said when asked whether he could rule out an IL stint for Merrill. “We’ll take it day-to-day and go from there.”

Bryce Johnson started in center field in Merrill’s place and batted ninth. Left fielder Ramón Laureano batted fourth, where Merrill hit in 17 of the previous 22 games and has hit a team-high 56 times in all this season.

Left out

It’s possible Ryan O’Hearn would have started Monday against Giants left-hander Robbie Ray, but the Padres opted for defense in the outfield with Merrill out and were committed to giving Manny Machado a partial day off.

O’Hearn, a left-handed hitter, has yet to start against a left-hander since joining the Padres on Aug. 1 in a trade with the Orioles. He hit an RBI double off Dodgers’ lefty Anthony Banda on Sunday and has fairly neutral splits this season.

O’Hearn entered Monday batting .275 with an .820 OPS in 333 plate appearances against right-handers and .267 with an .812 OPS in 69 plate appearances against left-handers.

Ray was the fourth lefty the Padres have faced since O’Hearn was acquired. He started 11 of the 31 games in which the Orioles faced a left-handed starter this season.

“It’s going to be flexible,” Shildt said of the possibility O’Hearn could start against a lefty. “It’s going to be relative to the total picture of who we have on the club that day. Like every day, it’s always a question of who is going to give us the best opportunity to go compete.”

Monday, the fourth of 13 games without a day off, was a scheduled day for Machado to serve as designated hitter. Machado is the only Padres player to have started every game this season.

That put Jose Iglesias in the lineup at third base and meant neither Luis Arraez nor O’Hearn could serve as DH. On Sunday against the Dodgers, O’Hearn was the first baseman while Arraez served as DH. Arraez was back at first on Monday.

O’Hearn has started two games in left field this season and has started 12 games there in his career. When Merrill was removed Sunday, Gavin Sheets entered the game as the left fielder while Laureano moved to center.

The switch-hitting Johnson, who has not started since July 29, is the superior fielder and is batting .300 (6-for-20) against lefties this season.

“Manny has been going pretty hard,” Shildt said. “… Bryce has also swung the bat well against lefties.”

King bullpen

Michael King, on the injured list with left knee inflammation, threw 30 pitches in the bullpen Monday.

“Everything felt great,” he said.

The right-hander, who made one start this month after 2½ months on the injured list with a nerve impingement near his throwing shoulder, is not expected to miss more than the required 15 days on the IL. He is eligible to return Aug. 26 when the Padres are in Seattle.

The plan is for King, who had fluid in his knee drained, to make a minor-league rehab start.

Everyday Freddy

Catcher Freddy Fermin on Monday started a fourth consecutive day for the first time in his career.

“We got him for a reason, and that was to go catch,” Shildt said. “He’s turning into an everyday catcher.”

Fermin, acquired at the trade deadline, has caught every pitcher except Nick Pivetta, who continues to work with Elias Díaz. Monday was Fermin’s 12th start for the Padres. He entered the game batting .350 with an .831 OPS in 44 plate appearances with the Padres.

Serving as the backup to Salvador Perez, Fermin started behind the plate in 51 of the Royals’ 109 games before the July 31 trade. He started 72 games in 2024 and 54 in ‘23.

Fermin had started four straight games twice in his career but never on four consecutive days.