Padres Manager, Manny Machado Provide Massive Update on Star's Injury

San Diego Padres star Manny Machado exited Saturday's game with right calf tightness. The Friars secured a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves, and the team provided an update on Machado's availability for the series finale Sunday.

“I think Shildty did the right thing there, just taking me out, precautionary stuff, maybe keeping it from being something worse,” Machado said. “It was just a little cramp. I’ve felt stuff like that before. It’s not a big deal, nothing too concerning.”

It appears the third baseman shouldn't miss an extended period of time, but it remains uncertain whether Machado will be in the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

“Manny looks like he’s going to be fine,” manager Mike Shildt said. “He cramped up, and the cramp stayed with him. It got to a point where it just didn’t make any sense to stay with him. … Didn’t want to risk anything.”

The move to take Machado out of Saturday's game seemed to be precautionary more than anything. The Padres star appeared to sustain the cramp after a swing and miss during his at-bat in the fourth inning.

After being evaluated by a trainer, Machado remained in the game to finish the at-bat and was then replaced by Jose Iglesias, who made his Padres debut Saturday.

Machado's official status is day to day; however, if the star can't play Sunday or misses a longer stretch of games, Iglesias will likely take over the starting third baseman role for the time being.

Because it's so early in the season, the Padres will likely want to preserve Machado for later on in the year rather than exasperating a minor injury. So if he does miss time, fans shouldn't be too concerned.

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