Padres News: Friars Switch Up Lineup Once Again Without Manny Machado
The San Diego Padres are rolling out a very interesting batting lineup against the Boston Red Sox in the first game of their weekend series. I had initially projected that they would stick with the group that they put out in their final game against the Kansas City Royals.
However, they opted to keep experimenting and Jake Cronenworth has now been moved to the number six slot with Ha-Seong Kim moving up to bat second.
Kim has famously been a player who has been able to come up huge when needed but is also streaky at times. He's off to a solid start in 2023 with a slash line of .235/.325/.371 and he will now be given an opportunity to get some early hits.
Cronenworth went 2-3 on Wednesday and also clocked in a home run while batting second so this will be another change for him to adjust to.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is also back to his leadoff spot with Xander Bogaerts at number three and Juan Soto at cleanup. As long as Soto is kept out of batting second, the Friars should be in good shape.
Even though Manny Machado is still out of the lineup, there is no official word if he will end up on the IL. The Padres appear to still be monitoring how his bruising and swelling recovers and we'll provide updates on his recovery as we receive them.
We'll see everybody at 6:40 pm PT sharp!
