SAN DIEGO -- Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill exited Wednesday’s series finale against the Dodgers with an apparent injury that he sustained while trying to rob Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff home run.
Merrill remained in the game for three more innings, but he appeared to be in obvious discomfort and was eventually replaced by Bryce Johnson as a defensive substitution in the top of the fifth.
Ohtani’s leadoff home run -- on the first pitch of the night from Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez -- traveled to the beach area in right-center field, right around the same spot where Merrill robbed Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle earlier this season.
This one landed just beyond Merrill’s reach. After he leapt, and on his way down, Merrill’s torso appeared to collide with the top of the wall. Immediately, he grimaced as he walked from the wall back to his position in center. He was seen favoring his side and his back in the dugout later.
Merrill has endured a brutal start to the season, having posted a .203 batting average with a .595 OPS through his first 47 games. Still, the Padres don’t have many obvious replacement options, if Merrill were to miss further time. Johnson is the only other center fielder on the roster.