Padres News: MRI on Ailing Juan Soto Shows Progress
Things went well for the San Diego Padres on Friday, as they defeated the Texas Rangers 7-1 and kept their hopes of competing for a playoff spot alive for at least another day with the trade deadline coming on Tuesday.
It didn't all go perfect for the Friars though as Juan Soto had to leave the game early after being affected by a nagging finger injury.
Thankfully for San Diego though, they got welcome news as the star outfielder's MRI "looked good," as Padres manager Bob Melvin said before they took on the Rangers on Saturday.
“It looked good. So based on what we saw in January, I think there’s progress as far as that goes. Obviously as you saw last night, it’s gonna be there some, but looking at at least what the doctors have to say, it’s improving some.” -- San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin
The left fielder will be in the lineup and bat at his usual 3rd in Saturday's game, as the Padres look to win their second game in as many nights as they look to stave off the need to sell ahead of the August 1 trade deadline.
As of pregame Saturday, the Padres were six games back in the race for the last wild card spot, and there's been conflicting reports on whether the Padres would opt to buy or sell ahead of the impending deal deadline.
All-Star starting pitcher Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader have been two of the most common names to surface in trade rumors in recent days, and it remains to be seen whether they'll remain in San Diego or be on their way to new teams by early Tuesday.
Either way, this is a crucial series for the Padres, and they'll have one of their star bats in the lineup and trying to make an impact against Texas.
