Ex-Padre Heath Ball Calls Out Manny Machado for 'Bad Decision'

The 2026 season has been a strange one for San Diego Padres star Manny Machado.

Machado has produced fairly well at the plate, other than his batting average, which has been a real problem. While Machado is on pace for over 30 home runs, he's struggling to hit consistently.

Overall, Machado has hit .210 with 23 home runs and 63 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .734. But his swing didn't look the same early in the year, with the veteran admitting to changing his mechanics over the offseason.

This has certainly impacted his bat this year, and it's caused problems for the Padres' offense as a whole. Former Padres star Heath Bell called out Machado for the change he made.

"He worked with somebody that's never worked before," Bell said in a recent interview. "Really bad decision."

Machado worked with independent swing coach Richard Schenck this past offseason, leading to the changes. Whatever Machado did has impacted his swing, and it's seen his vision at the plate change dramatically.

The star is ranked in the 37th percentile in whiff rate, with Machado being late on both fastballs and breaking balls this year. Due to his issues, Bell believes that the Padres should drop Machado in the lineup, but only slightly.

"I would put Manny in the fifth spot because he doesn't have the average, but he still hits for power," Bell said.

Bell wouldn't push Machado down farther than the five spot, giving him a chance to drive in runs. Machado is still a great power hitter this year despite his poor average, and he's helped the Padres stay competitive in the playoff race.

"The farthest I'd ever put Manny is sixth," Bell said. "He can make a difference in the lineup."

Machado has been putting in the work behind the scenes to turn his season around, but the average still remains low. Normally, he has been one of the elite players in baseball, but 2026 has seen a drastic shift for the veteran.

However, Machado isn't making any excuses, nor is he blaming the offseason work he did with Schenck.

“I’m not making excuses about anything,” Machado said earlier this year. “[Working with Schenck] is not a reason. … There were a lot of great things that came out of that, so it’s not an excuse.”

All the Padres can do is hope that this season is an outlier; otherwise, they could be in real trouble. Machado is still under contract for seven more seasons past 2026, with the veteran scheduled to earn $39 million each year.

Fortunately, Machado appears to finally be getting his bat going, which is a great sign for the Padres' playoff hopes.

He hit a huge game-tying two-run home run on Sunday that ultimately led to San Diego's comeback win to complete their sweep of the Miami Marlins.

The Padres are now back at .500, sitting at 53-53 with a week to go until the deadline.

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