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Padres' Jake Cronenworth Still Has No Timeline to Return One Month Into Concussion IL

The latest update on the 32-year-old second baseman is discouraging.
J.P. Hoornstra|
San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) after being hit by pitch during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on May 4, 2026.
San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) after being hit by pitch during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on May 4, 2026. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth has been out of sight and out of mind for more than a month recovering from the concussion symptoms that landed him on the injured list on May 5.

The more time Cronenworth misses, the more the 97-mph fastball that hit him in the jaw April 18 stands out as an anomaly.

Not only did Cronenworth stay in the game after he was hit by the Yusei Kikuchi pitch in Anaheim, he played another 12 games before finally succumbing to the IL.

Sunday's game against the New York Mets will be the 30th Cronenworth has missed since he suffered the injury. His stats weren't lighting the world on fire (.468 OPS, 36 OPS+) at the time but the Padres have missed out on his expected regression to the mean during one of their worst stretches of the season.

The Padres are 13-16 in Cronenworth's absence. Only three National League teams — the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs — have fewer wins during that stretch.

The lastest update on Cronenworth isn't great.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Cronenworth is playing catch, running and hitting off a tee. Although manager Craig Stammen told reporters earlier this week that Cronenworth's symptoms recently improved, there is still no timetable for the 32-year-old to return.

Acee noted that Cronenworth likely still needs to play several minor-league games before he's cleared to rejoin the team. A brain injury that he played through for two weeks is now threatening to keep Cronenworth out until after the All-Star break.

Cronenworth was initially cleared to play back on April 18, but his symptoms started to play out over the following days. He attributed his symptoms to altitude sickness at first — the Padres were playing in both Denver and Mexico City — before seeking a second opinion.

Cronenworth ended up playing through the concussion symptoms for nearly three weeks.

Either Fernando Tatis Jr. or Sung-Mun Song has started every game at second base in Cronenworth's absence.

Tatis is slashing .297/.361/.351 since Cronenworth went down, Song .194/.324/.226. The Padres' problems go beyond one position, but moving Tatis back to right field would at least end the revolving door at one corner outfield spot.

The recovery time from a concussion is notoriously unpredictable. So it has gone for Cronenworth, who perhaps now wishes he hadn't tried to tough it out at first.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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