Manny Machado Needs Rest, But Can the Padres Afford to Give it To Him?

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado finally took a day off on Wednesday, in the team's series finale against the Cincinnati Reds.

Before Wednesday's game, Machado had played in 47 consecutive contests. Moreover, the 34-year-old had played 109 of the team's previous 110 games over 125 days.

Including Wednesday's much-needed day off, Machado has missed just four games this season. His infectious dedication to helping the Padres jockey for a wild-card spot has not gone unnoticed by his manager.

“I think he’s playing … with a sense of urgency, and I think that’s what our entire team needs at this point in the season,” Craig Stammen said recently.

Padres star Manny Machado has dealt with 5 different injuries throughout this season and said he's far from healthy right now😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/Q8ploxSNad
— Padres On SI (@PadresOnSI) August 31, 2026

While the Padres need to play with urgency, it appears that Machado — who is far from healthy — needs some rest.

Ahead of his first season at the helm in San Diego, Stammen said that Machado would "get more rest" this season. With Machado grinding through lingering injuries in what has been an up-and-down 2026 campaign, Stammen told reporters earlier this week that he was considering giving the veteran a rest day.

That finally came on Wednesday. It remains to be seen if that's his last one of the season.

"He’s not feeling great. Nobody’s feeling great," Stammen said of Machado on Monday. "But he did what he could to help our team win today, and that’s what Manny is all about.”

After Monday's 4-for-5 performance, Machado was right back in the lineup on Tuesday. He went 0-for-2 at the plate with a walk and a sacrifice fly in the Padres' loss to the Reds.

While Machado finally rested on Wednesday, his team dropped another crucial game in the standings.

The Padres have now lost five of their last six games, with every loss worsening their postseason odds.

After a 1-5 road trip, the Padres are a half-game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final wild-card spot.

So, with each game holding more meaning than the last, the balance between wanting to give Machado rest and him wanting to help the Padres reach the postseason is delicate.

“Well, just 27 [and now 22] games left, leaving it on the table,” Machado said last week. “So at the end of the day, just what’s it going to take for us to win ballgames. And every time you step out to that field, you gotta leave it out on the field. With just a few left, just go out there and try to try to get as many runs as we can, try to score as many as we can, and put ourselves in a postseason run.”

Stammen hinted on Wednesday that Machado wouldn't get another day off this season.

“A day game in Cincinnati with this heat — get him off his feet,” Stammen said. “Hopefully refreshes him, gets him another [team] day off [Thursday], and then he’ll be in there for the next 22."

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