Padres pregame: Both Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill in Tuesday’s lineup

by Jeff Sanders

The Padres put two opening day outfielders back in the lineup for Tuesday’s 6:40 p.m. start against the Baltimore Orioles.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is back atop the lineup and in right field a day after he was scratched with lower half tightness. Meantime, Jackson Merrill is back in the lineup for the first time since his left ankle sent him to the injured list. Merrill was activated from the injured list Monday and entered in the ninth inning as pinch-runner.

Merrill will play center and bat sixth, the seventh time he’s hit that low this season.

“Really excited for Jackson to be back,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “He’s clearly a big part of the club and brings a lot of different things. … It’s at the expense of — we’ve got a lot of really talented left-handed hitters, so (now it makes the) bench a little stronger, and we’ll use the lineup and move guys around and get some guys off their feet.”

Here’s how we’re lining up for Game 2. pic.twitter.com/I3aZgjRgBw

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 2, 2025

For Tuesday, that means Ryan O’Hearn will have to come off the bench as Gavin Sheets is getting the start at DH and in the clean-up spot and Ramón Laureano will move back to left field and bat fifth.

Mason McCoy is getting his first start at shortstop since the Padres lost Xander Bogaerts (foot). He’ll bat eighth, between second baseman Jake Cronenworth and catcher Freddy Fermin.

Tatis’ absence was just a one-game rest. He grabbed at his right hamstring late in Sunday’s loss in Minnesota, exited as part of mass substitutions and was in the starting lineup on Monday until he was scratched about a half-hour before first pitch.

Tatis was not available as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning, Shildt said.

“Texted him after the game and he’s ready to go,” Shildt said Tuesday afternoon.

He added: “Clearly we do check his flexibility, all the different things that take place, and his strength and all that, and his hydration. He was just sore yesterday and it was really more of an abundance of caution than anything else with the … travel day and the fact of how much he’s played this year.”

Here is how the Orioles will line up for Game 2:

Wells on the bump. pic.twitter.com/NuYJpiPkaf

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 2, 2025

Tuesday’s pitching matchup

Orioles RHP Tyler Wells (2025 debut)

He’s making his first big-league start since last year’s elbow revision. Wells’ minor league ramp-up concluded with 6⅓ innings of two-run ball in his last start for Triple-A Norfolk (90 pitches). This will be Wells’ first career appearance against the Padres.

Five Padres have history with Well:

1B Luis Arraez (2-for-5, K)
1B Ryan O’Hearn (1-for-3, RBI, 2 Ks)
SS Jose Iglesias (0-for-2, K)
OF Ramón Laureano (1-for-2, K)
OF Gavin Sheets (0-for-1)

Padres RHP Yu Darvish (3-4, 5.66 ERA)

He has been alternating good and bad starts over his last six trips to the mound (3.77 ERA), with the Mariners tagging him for four runs in four innings last week in Seattle. Darvish has a 2.95 ERA in four home starts since returning from the injured list and a 7.86 ERA in six road starts. He has only two starts in his career against the Orioles (4.73 ERA), the last in 2023 (7 IP, 4 ER).

Only four Orioles have history with Darvish: