Padres' .787-OPS Slugger Dealing With Hamstring Injury

The San Diego Padres are being especially careful with offseason addition Miguel Andujar this year.

Andujar, who joined the Padres on a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason, is getting just his 17th start of the season on Monday night. The Padres are playing their 28th game.

While Andujar was expected to be in somewhat of a platoon with Nick Castellanos and Ty France, he's the best hitter — and the highest paid — of the bunch. Thus, it was expected that he would get more consistent playing time, but so far, that hasn't been the case.

There's more to it, though.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Andujar has been battling hamstring tightness, leading to some additional time on the bench.

Acee said the issue is "slight," and it clearly hasn't forced Andujar to miss any significant time. However, the Padres have been especially careful with their players this year — as seen by the constant off days for key players — and thus, the team is not pushing Andujar.

“We’re just trying to manage that,” Stammen said. “… The same thing we have talked about with all the guys about managing their workload and things like that.”

Andujar is off to a strong start in his debut season with the Padres, hitting .311 (19-for-61) with seven extra-base hits, five runs batted in and an OPS of .787.

He's coming off a 2025 season between the Athletics and Cincinnati Reds where he hit .318 with 28 extra-base hits, 44 RBIs and an OPS of .822. However, he struggled with injuries, only appearing in 94 games.

The Padres want to make sure Andujar is healthy for a majority of the 2026 season. So, they're being extra careful by not pushing him too much. It makes it easier when France is hitting as well as he has early this season (.265/.306/.559 slash line with three home runs and an OPS of .864).

Andujar will continue to split time with France and Castellanos, with Gavin Sheets getting close to everyday playing time in that first base/designated hitter platoon. However, if Andujar starts to feel healthier over the coming weeks, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get extra playing time with the way he's been hitting.

Castellanos could also be running out of time with the Padres, as he's struggled mightily this year, hitting just .146 with an OPS of .404.

If the team were to move on from Castellanos — who's owed just the veteran's minimum from San Diego while the Philadelphia Phillies pay him the remainder of his $20 million salary — that would create even more opportunities for Andujar.

For now, Andujar will continue to take advantage of his opportunities while also understanding it's a long season. His bat is one of the many reasons San Diego's lineup has been relentless in coming back this season, especially late in games.

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