Aug 12, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez (4) warms up before the game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Luis Arraez to Move Down in Padres Lineup? Mike Shildt Answers

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 5:00 PM ET

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt spoke about whether or not he would move infielder Luis Arraez down in the lineup amid his struggles in August.

Arraez is batting .233, which is an uncharacteristically low mark for the three-time batting champion over a month. He has a .577 OPS since Aug. 1, and his poor month has dropped his OPS+ below league average. He has never finished a season with an OPS+ below 100.

“The lineups are always fluid,” Shildt said. “I know people like to think about them. Rightfully so. Louie got a day today. Came off the bench, good teammate. But, you know, Luis Arraez still (has) the fifth-most hits in the National League, second-most multiple-hit games and is a big part of our club. We’ll continue to look at it. But, I mean, it was a good chance for (Laureano) to get back a little bit higher. And we also talked about balancing our lineup out as well. So there’s always that.”

Shildt went on to say he has no plans to move Arraez down in the order despite it's fluidity.

Arraez has shown this season he still has elite bat to ball skills, and at the moment its just a matter of hitting the ball in the right place. Arraez rarely strikes out, and his .235 BABIP in August, while not entirely based on luck, shows that he isn't the most fortunate when putting the ball in play.

The Padres still have the ability to shuffle the lineup and keep Arraez out if they need to, mostly due to newly acquired depth at the trade deadline. Ryan O'Hearn, who came from the Baltimore Orioles, has played plenty of first base during his MLB career, and Jake Cronenworth is also an option.

The Padres will hope Arraez can escape the rut he's in, as they are at a crucial point in their season. They've fallen two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, and need to gain some ground in the division before they fall out of the race for first.

After a rest day Thursday, the Padres will end their road trip with a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. The opening game of the series comes Friday at 5:10 p.m. PT.