Padres' Mike Shildt Provides Huge Update on Jackson Merrill

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt spoke about the condition of All-Star center fielder Jackson Merrill, who the Padres placed on the seven-day concussion injured list after exiting Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“It’s going to be a day-to-day thing,” Shildt said Sunday. “I think the best thing is that he’s able to keep some food down, and he had some appetite. So that was encouraging. But other than that, he wasn’t himself still. … He’s going to get back to San Diego, rest and hopefully recover quicker.”

He added on Monday: "(Doing) better, (has an) appetite, headache gone,” Shildt said. “So gaining ground, but still a little woozy … but he’s doing better. But he’s still got some neck soreness, as you would expect, so trying to get rid of that and just trying to get him to where everything’s starting to get a little bit more than just normal.”

Merrill left Saturday's loss after second baseman Ketel Marte tagged him on the front of his helmet during his slide, and he remained on the ground for several minutes before leaving the field.

The center fielder will be sidelined for at least a week, and is eligible to return from the injured list against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Merrill had a five-game hit streak before his injury, and was putting up a season comparable to his 2024 All-Star and Silver Slugger campaign. While his power may be lacking in comparison to his rookie season, he is batting above .300 and has an OPS of .823.

Merrill had been on the injured list earlier in the season with a hamstring injury, and missed April 6-May 6 while recovering. The Padres will hope to avoid any setbacks in their young superstar's recovery, as they're in the middle of an extremely important month of June.

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