San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Petco Park. Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Watch: Jackson Merrill quickly rewards Padres for massive payday

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 5:48 PM ET

Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill celebrated a massive payday with a two-run home run against the Guardians on Wednesday.

The day began with Merrill and San Diego agreeing to a nine-year, $135 million contract extension, and in the third inning against Cleveland, he blasted a home run that gave the Padres a 4-0 lead.

Jackson Merrill extended this ball out of the park pic.twitter.com/S4qdq3MG19
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2025

Batting clean-up for the fifth consecutive game, Merrill launched Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively's 76 mph curveball 388 feet to right center on the first pitch of the at-bat.

Merrill has gotten off to a hot start this season. Including Wednesday's first three at-bats against the Guardians, Merrill has slashed .435/.462/.739 with two home runs and eight runs batted in (RBIs) in San Diego's first seven games.

He hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday, giving him home runs in consecutive games for the first time since last August.

The 2024 All-Star centerfielder made his major league debut in the 2024 Tokyo Series against the Dodgers. He proceeded to slash .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs in 156 games.

The Padres originally drafted Merrill, 21, in the first round (No. 27 overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Merill's a rising talent who's quickly cemented his place on the Padres roster. With his third-inning home run, he's already rewarded San Diego for its shrewd investment.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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