The San Diego Padres are on a four-game winning streak heading into Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mike Shildt's team has drawn even with the Dodgers in the standings with a hot stretch. Despite that success, the Padres have been without Jackson Merrill after the outfielder missed games with an ankle injury. Now Ramon Laureano and others need to step up.
Merrill has not played since August 17 against Los Angeles. An ankle issue kept the Padres' former All-Star out of the lineup. Initially, Shildt and his staff did not think that the injury was worth putting him on the injured list. However, the injury has not gotten any better. After consideration, San Diego put Merrill on the 10-day IL and will not have him for the rest of the month.
Merrill's absence hurts the Padres' outfield on defense and at the plate. Even though he has not lived up to the standard he set last season, his contributions to the team have helped it succeed this season. With him out of the lineup, San Diego has to get creative in order to maintain their offensive production.
The Padres did not make trades at the deadline expecting to lose Merrill to injury for any length of time. However, one of the trades the front office made gives them a perfect replacement for their young star. San Diego swung a deal to bring in both Ramon Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn from the Baltimore Orioles. Laureano is the first option to take Merrill's spot in center field.
The Padres have high expectations for the rest of the season. The fact that they are a threat to the defending World Series champions proves that San Diego should be among the favorites to win this year's title. However, Shildt now has to find a way to maintain his team's momentum while Merrill recovers from his injury on the IL.
