The San Diego Padres suffered a major blow on Sunday, losing outfielder Jackson Merrill to the seven-day injured list due to concussion-related symptoms. The team called up utility man Trenton Brooks from Triple-A to replace Merrill on the active roster. Brooks has impressed in Triple-A this season, hitting .311 with 14 home runs, 54 RBI’s, and a 1.001 OPS.
Merrill suffered the injury during the Saturday’s stunning 8-7 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As Merrill went to steal second base in the seventh inning, he received a hard tag from Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, which hit Merrill square in the front of the helmet. Merrill was down for a few minutes before departing the game with the assistance of the team trainers.
The Padres opted to place Merrill on the concussion list out of an abundance of caution, as he was already slated to sit Sunday’s contest to undergo further testing. San Diego currently sits in third-place in the NL West at 38-31, 3.0 games back of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
Merrill has already missed a considerable amount of time this season due to a hamstring strain, which kept him out of action for roughly a month. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up has picked up where he left off last season when he has been healthy, hitting .304 with five home runs and a .823 OPS in 44 games played this season.