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Padres' Jackson Merrill Exits Game vs Dodgers With Apparent Injury in Concerning Development

This isn't good for San Diego.
Noah Camras|
May 18, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) comes off the field after making a catch on a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
May 18, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) comes off the field after making a catch on a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

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San Diego PadresLos Angeles Dodgers

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill has been removed from Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a concerning development.

It's currently unknown why Merrill has been removed, but it would appear to be due to an apparent injury.

Merrill was replaced by outfielder Bryce Johnson, who took over in center field.

When Did Jackson Merrill Get Hurt?

On the very first pitch of the game, Merrill tried to rob a home run hit by Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani in center field. Merrill hit his back on the outfield wall, and seemed to be in some pain.

Here's a video of that play:

After Merrill struck out in his first at-bat of the game in the second inning, he was seen wincing in some pain. He had a brief conversation with manager Craig Stammen and head athletic trainer Mark Rogow, but remained in the game on defense.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, though, Johnson went into the on-deck circle in Merrill's place. While Merrill's spot in the lineup didn't come up before the inning ended, in the top of the fifth, Johnson was in center field.

What is Jackson Merrill's Injury?

The Padres will provide an announcement on Merrill's injury soon. This article will be updated when they do.

Who Would Replace Jackson Merrill if He's Injured?

The Padres are off on Thursday, which will give them plenty of time to determine if they need to make a roster move for Merrill.

If the injury ends up not being too serious, the Padres will likely feel comfortable with Johnson playing center field for a couple days, if necessary.

If Merrill is forced to go on the injured list, though, the Padres don't have any other outfielders on the 40-man roster (aside from the ones on the active roster).

An obvious candidate to replace Merrill would be Jase Bowen, who's off to a torrid start at Triple-A this year (but would need to be added to the 40-man roster).

Across 39 games for the Chihuahuas this year, Bowen is hitting .299 with 11 home runs, 29 RBIs and an OPS of .989.

As for Johnson, he entered Wednesday's game hitting .185 with an OPS of .526 across 27 at-bats this year. He only had nine plate appearances this month before entering Wednesday's contest.

Merrill is struggling mightily this season, hitting .203 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and an OPS of .595. His strikeout in the second inning on Wednesday was his 50th of the season in 47 games.

He had a total of 101 strikeouts in 156 games during his rookie year. He had 108 strikeouts in 115 games last year.

This story will be updated (refresh the page for the fully updated article)...

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Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah Camras graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and has extensively covered Southern California sports in his career. Noah is the publisher of Padres on SI after contributing as a writer and editor over the last three years.

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