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Over the previous few weeks, it has develop into more and more doubtless that prime prospect Jackson Merrill would break camp with the Padres. Whereas the group has but to make that official, supervisor Mike Shildt implied this night the 20-year-old was trending in direction of a spot on the Opening Day roster.
“Jackson Merrill goes to Korea,” Shildt advised reporters, in reference to San Diego’s season-opening sequence in Seoul towards the Dodgers subsequent week (link via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). “He’s earned his means on the airplane. He’s earned what’s coming after the airplane.”
That’s not fairly a declaration that the Padres are calling him up. San Diego and Los Angeles are allowed to convey 31 gamers with them to Seoul, though solely 26 shall be on the lively roster for video games. That theoretically leaves open the opportunity of Merrill touring with the group and never being activated for the sequence. But Shildt’s not notably delicate nod to “what’s coming after” the flight is all however a proper announcement that he’ll break camp. As Cassavell notes, the Padres would doubtless have had Merrill proceed working in minor league camp this week in the event that they weren’t planning to name him up.
A primary-round pick of a Maryland highschool in 2021, Merrill is on monitor to be San Diego’s Opening Day heart fielder. That’s a place he has by no means performed in a minor league recreation. He made 5 begins in left area with Double-A San Antonio a yr in the past. Aside from that, his whole skilled expertise had come on the infield. With San Diego having much more infield depth than outfielders, Merrill spent the offseason working as an outfielder. He has performed on the grass in Spring Coaching and evidently impressed the group sufficient defensively.
Merrill has restricted expertise dealing with higher degree pitching. He has by no means performed in Triple-A and solely had 46 video games of Double-A expertise. Merrill put up a stable .273/.348/.444 line in 211 plate appearances in a pitcher-friendly setting at that degree. He has impressed in Spring Coaching, punctuating a current scorching streak with an opposite-field homer off Zac Gallen this afternoon. Merrill is now as much as a .343/.395/.600 slash with three walks and strikeouts apiece in exhibition play.
The Padres entered camp with solely three outfielders on the 40-man roster: Fernando Tatis Jr., José Azocar and Jurickson Profar. San Diego would want to pick Merrill’s contract however can achieve this with out a corresponding transfer, as they solely have 37 gamers on the 40-man roster.
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