The San Diego Padres, who began play Tuesday with the best record in the major leagues, will be without Jackson Merrill for at least 10 days after placing the center fielder on the injured list.
Merrill is sidelined due to a strained right hamstring. Oscar Gonzalez was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to fill the roster spot.
Manager Mike Schildt said before the Padres faced the Athletics on Tuesday night in West Sacramento, Calif., “The good news is, at the moment, it doesn’t appear to be anything overly serious. There wasn’t a traumatic event that caused it. There was some tightness that clearly is real. He’s working really diligently, as you would expect, to get treatment.
“We just felt like it was going to be close to the 10 days — right at that mark. Instead of playing (one player) short … just go ahead and get it done.”
Merrill, 21, is hitting .378 with a .415 on-base percentage, a .676 slugging percentage, three homers and 10 RBIs through 10 games this season.
Last season, he was the runner-up for National League Rookie of the Year after batting .292/.326/.500 with 24 homers, 90 RBIs and 16 steals in 156 games.
On April 2, Merrill and the Padres agreed to a nine-year, $135 million contract extension that runs through 2034, with the club owning a $30 million option for 2035.
Gonzalez, 27, appeared in a total of 145 games for the Guardians in 2022 and 2023 but hadn’t returned to the majors since. He produced a .269/.299/.413 career batting line for Cleveland with 13 homers and 55 RBIs.
In seven games for El Paso this year, he hit .290/.353/.677 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
Brandon Lockridge got the start for San Diego in center field on Tuesday. Gonzalez came off the bench to play left field after second baseman Jake Cronenworth sustained an apparent injury while grounding out in the third inning.
