Center fielder Trent Grisham exited the Padres’ 5-4 Cactus League victory over Cleveland on Thursday with "a slight strain in his hamstring," manager Jayce Tingler said, adding that Grisham will be re-evaluated on Friday to determine the extent of the injury.

Grisham, who broke out last season as a Gold Glover and top-of-the-lineup table-setter, came up hobbled as he ran out a ground ball in the bottom of the third inning. He immediately motioned toward the Padres’ dugout and was removed from the game.

"I don't want to get ahead of ourselves or anything like that until we evaluate -- does it tighten up, does it lock up tonight?" Tingler said. "We'll wait and see how he feels."

• 3 weeks to decide 3 Padres roster battles

Tingler noted that Grisham has dealt with some minor hamstring troubles in the past and that Grisham had indicated to medical staff that he was optimistic the injury wouldn't linger.

"Initial reaction -- it's something he's done in the past, and so I kind of trust Grish on his feel there," Tingler said. “But sometimes those things can change overnight.”

Grisham had a .251/.352/.456 slash line last season while expertly manning center field. There's a case to be made that Grisham is the one player the Padres were least prepared to lose this spring, considering their roster construction.

San Diego is solidly two- and three-deep at every other position but has question marks regarding the backup center fielder. Brian O'Grady and Jorge Mateo are options, and they're competing for the final place on the bench. But the Padres don't view either as an everyday starter.

Enter Jurickson Profar, who plays just about everywhere. Profar has been one of the game's most versatile and adaptable players over the past few seasons, and the Padres have handed him reps in center this spring -- including Thursday after Grisham's exit.

"I've got a lot of confidence in him being able to do that," Tingler said earlier this week. "He gets good reads, he's got a great baseball IQ and I think he can play a lot of positions. I feel very comfortable with him in center."

Tatis back Friday?
It seems likely Fernando Tatis Jr. will return to the starting lineup on Friday when the Padres face the A's. The star shortstop has missed five games because of what Tingler called a "bug," though the illness is not COVID-19 related.

Tatis went through a full workout and reported no ill effects, which should clear him to play Friday. In the short time he has played this spring, he has looked like the usual five-tool-superstar version of himself.

Tatis has reached base five times in 10 plate appearances, and he has been solid on the basepaths and at shortstop. But the loudest noise Tatis has made thus far came last week against the D-backs when he launched a 441-foot grand slam.

Musgrove goes three
Joe Musgrove's start was the seventh by a member of the Padres' projected starting five this spring. It was the first in which a starter has allowed a run.

Nonetheless, Musgrove was relatively sharp across his three innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk but was victimized by some shoddy defense, including a grounder that snuck under the glove of first baseman Eric Hosmer and was ruled a double.

"I actually felt a little better today with my delivery, my timing," Musgrove said. "The results weren't the same, but I attribute that to a little bit of poor execution ... on some of the two-strike pitches. But overall, I felt really good."

Musgrove became the first Padres pitcher to work three innings in a game this spring.

Myers rakes... again
By now, Wil Myers should qualify as something of a Cactus League Babe Ruth. Sure, the Padres’ right fielder is a solid hitter during the regular season. But he has posted gaudy Cactus League numbers every season.

That includes this year. Myers went 2-for-2 with a walk on Thursday and hit his second homer in as many games. He's batting .389 with a 1.310 OPS.