Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) celebrates on second base after hitting a RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park on Aug. 11. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Padres' Mike Shildt Provides Latest Jackson Merrill Injury Update

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 1:04 PM ET

Little has gone right for Jackson Merrill since the Padres' center fielder awkwardly turned his left ankle in the batter's box in the ninth inning last Friday in Los Angeles.

In the second inning Saturday, Merrill dropped a fly ball on the warning track, leading to two runs in an eventual loss to the Dodgers. The next day, he struck out in his second at-bat of the game, and was given the rest of the day off. He hasn't played since.

Merrill revealed that x-rays on the ankle c ame back negative, but his short-term outlook isn't exactly rosy.

"We feel comfortable and confident — even more so today — there is nothing structural or long-term in play here," manager Mike Shildt told reporters, including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, on Wednesday. "But there is some bone bruising, which can take a while to heal.”

Mike Shildt said imaging on Jackson Merrill’s left ankle continues to be negative, “but there is some bone bruising, which can take a while to heal.” The Padres haven’t yet put Merrill on the injured list, but his status for this weekend against the Dodgers appears questionable.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) August 21, 2025

The question of whether or not Merrill will go on the 10-day injured list is still open. The Padres could simply backdate the stint to Monday, allowing him to be activated Aug. 28. But that decision hasn't been made as of Thursday morning.

“His improvement has been incremental, but it has been small increments,” Shildt said (via Acee). “Hopefully he can take a step or two. But if not, we’ve got to evaluate now that we’re getting into day four whether he needs to take the 10 days or we can expect him to get back into the competition this weekend.”

Jackson Merrill on how his ankle is feeling and if he believes he'll need to go on the IL: pic.twitter.com/onHmt0ODc1
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If there is a reason for optimism, it arrived Tuesday when Merrill told reporters in San Diego that he was able to do "as much as I want to" despite the injury.

"I could still play on it right now," he said. "I think it's more of an organizational decision more than mine. I want to play and I want to be in there. I think everybody saw that I wasn't right in my AB (Sunday) so I just trust them too."

Merrill, 22, has had his ups and downs in his sophomore season in the big leagues. Since signing a nine-year, $135 million contract extension with the Padres on April 2, he's proceeded to hit .261/.317/.413, with nine home runs and 51 RBIs in 91 games.

Although his defense in center field has made up the bulk of his 2 Wins Above Replacement (via Baseball Reference), injuries have unquestionably slowed Merrill down. He missed nearly a month with a hamstring ailment earlier in the year, and has only stolen one base after swiping 16 bags as a rookie in 2024.