Aug 11, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) fields a fly ball against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Padres Provide Ominous Update on Jackson Merrill Injury

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 3:30 PM ET

San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill missed Monday's game against the San Francisco Giants with an ankle injury.

Merrill rolled his ankle in Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He slipped out of the batter's box after hitting a would-be double and ended up injuring his lower half.

The young outfielder played on Saturday for the second game in the series, but he struggled with the injury on Sunday, which forced the team to pull him from the game.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Merrill was noticeably limping on Monday afternoon.

Before Monday's game, Padres manager Mike Shildt gave an update on Merril's status.

“We’re evaluating whether he’ll be available for anything at all, which we’re not certain about right now, and then evaluating whether it’s day-to-day or something longer,” Shildt said.

There is still a limited amount of information regarding the injury, though the team will need to make a decision soon on his status.

“We’ll know more today, so I can’t say definitely,” Shildt said regarding Merrill avoiding the injured list.

“We’ll take it day-to-day and go from there.”

Merrill is hitting .261/.317/.413 with nine home runs. He has struggled to produce hitting-wise, but his underlying numbers indicate that he is playing well.

Despite only having one stolen base, he sits in the 82nd percentile in baserunning run value. Also, he is in the 79th percentile in sprint speed.

In terms of batting, he sits 81st percentile in expected weight on base average, 82nd percentile in expected batting average, and 78th percentile in expected slugging.

His numbers also show why his production is down compared to last year. He is striking out at a higher clip while also chasing more pitches and whiffing at a higher rate.

At the age of 22, Merrill is still on track to become a superstar in MLB as one of the most well-rounded players in the league.

He fields the ball well, can hit for power and contact, all while offering value on the base paths. If he can get healthy, the outfielder should play a key role in the Padres' quest for a deep October run.