San Diego Padres' manager Mike Shildt left designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn out of the Padres' lineup on Monday night against the San Francisco Giants, and it got a negative reaction from fans. Then, the left-handed batter came off the bench and hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the seventh inning.
The Padres traded for O'Hearn at the 2025 MLB trade deadline in a package with outfielder Ramon Laureano. Laureano has been stellar since the trade, hitting .317 with a 1.012 OPS, 10 extra-base hits and 12 RBI across 16 games.
O'Hearn hasn't seen as much success, hitting just .200 with a .755 OPS. In the trade the Padres gave up six prospects, including two of their top eight and their 16th prospect. Although O'Hearn's production hasn't been great, San Diego paid a price to bring him in, but the Padres' have used him quite sparingly.
Why is Ryan O'Hearn not getting more playing time?
On Monday night, the San Francisco Giants' starting pitcher was lefty Robbie Ray, and it created a lefty on lefty matchup against O'Hearn. However, O'Hearn's splits this season don't suggest that's the sole reason.
The Padres' utility DH is hitting .279 with an .880 OPS against left-handed pitching on the season, but that does drop to .236 and .754 against left-handed starters.
However, O'Hearn has been out of the starting lineup in all five matchups against a lefty starter since the Padres traded for him. But, on Monday night, he came off the bench and hit a home run off the Giants' left-handed starter.
Ryan O'Hearn makes it a 1-run game in San Diego 👀 pic.twitter.com/eNEHdbOiK9
— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2025
“That’s above my pay grade, out of my control,” O’Hearn said (h/t MLB.com). “I’m here to help out wherever I’m needed. I consider myself a team guy, for sure. I want to win with this team. Whatever they need me to do, that’s what I’m going to do.”
O'Hearn has the ability to play left field and DH, and with outfielder Jackson Merrill healthy, the DH role becomes the easiest spot to play O'Hearn. But, with Merrill out, the Padres can use him in the outfield as well.
Of the nine spots in the lineup, six are locked in when a lefty is on the mound in Laureano, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Merrill (when healthy) and the catcher. That leaves three spots remaining, and O'Hearn had the best hitting numbers against lefties of the remaining options going into Monday's game.
First baseman Luis Arraez and second baseman Jake Cronenworth are viewed as regular every day starters, however their OPS' sit at .636 and .717, respectively, against lefties. The other options are second baseman Jose Iglesias and outfielder Bryce Johnson, who both hold a .741 OPS against southpaws.
That leaves O'Hearn as the last option, and his OPS against left-handed pitching towers over the rest at .812.
MLB.com's AJ Cassavell pointed out the Shildt tends to stick with his lineup even amid struggles, but in October last season he switched it up. The Padres have lost four straight and fallen back to second in the NL West. Will Shildt do the same in 2025?
“Ryan’s done a nice job, and he is a great option off the bench,” Shildt said before Monday's game (h/t MLB.com). “It’s always going to be flexible. It’s going to be relative to the total picture of who we have on the club that day. Like every day, it’s always a question of who’s going to give us the best opportunity.”