The Padres officially announced that outfielder Jackson Merrill has been placed on the seven-day injured list for concussion-related issues. Infielder/outfielder Trenton Brooks will join the roster in Merrill’s place, as San Diego selected Brooks’ contract from Triple-A.
The placement isn’t a surprise, as Merrill was shaken up and had to be removed from Saturday’s game after receiving a hard tag from Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. Merrill was attempting to steal second base in the seventh inning, and Marte’s tag hit Merrill right in the front of his helmet. Merrill needed a few minutes to recover before leaving the field with team trainers.
It had already been decided that Merrill would sit out today’s game to undergo further examination, and it seems as though the Padres have opted to be safe and give Merrill at least the full week to recover. As always with concussion symptoms, no real timeline exists for recovery, as Merrill could conceivably start feeling better as soon as tomorrow, or he might be sidelined for well beyond the seven-day minimum.
Merrill already missed a month of action due to a hamstring strain earlier this season, but when he has been able to play, he has continued the impressive form that made him the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2024. Merrill is hitting .304/.349/.474 with five homers over 186 plate appearances this season, translating to a 132 wRC+ that narrowly tops the 130 wRC+ he posted over 593 PA in 2024.
Brandon Lockridge and Tyler Wade covered most of the workload in center field during Merrill’s previous IL stint, so that duo figures to handle things up the middle for the time being. There’s no easy way for the Padres to truly replace Merrill, of course, and the outfield mix is also still missing Jason Heyward, who is on a minor league rehab assignment.
The left-handed hitting Brooks will try to help out as depth at first base and in left field. The longtime minor league veteran finally made his big league debut last season at age 28, and Brooks appeared in 12 games for San Francisco (with a .361 OPS in 28 plate appearances) in his first taste of the majors.
Catching on with San Diego on a minors deal last winter, Brooks’ production at Triple-A El Paso has surpassed even his previous solid Triple-A numbers, as Brooks has a whopping .311/.411/.590 slash line and 14 homers over 270 PA for the Padres’ top affiliate. Replicating anything close to that at the MLB level would be immensely helpful to the Padres, and for Brooks’ chances of sticking around in the Show.
