Padres' Jake Cronenworth Still Nowhere Near Return From Concussion

Here's the latest on Cronenworth's recovery.

May 2, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) hits a single during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth has been out for the last few weeks due to ongoing concussion symptoms. Cronenworth originally suffered the injury over a month ago, but he played through the issue for nearly three weeks.

The former All-Star was cleared from the protocol on April 18, but a few days later, symptoms started coming back. Cronenworth had been hit in the chin by a pitch, causing the problems to arise in the first place.

But since the Padres had been playing series against the Colorado Rockies in Denver and the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City, Cronenworth believed the problems were due to altitude sickness. However, he told the team about it when the team got back, triggering a check, and he was then placed on the injured list.

Weeks later, Cronenworth is still not recovered. Moreover, it doesn't seem like he is close to returning, according to Padres manager Craig Stammen.

“Going through a lot of testing,” Stammen said of Cronenworth this week. “Slowly getting a little bit better here and there, but still not out of the woods and a little bit a ways away.”

Stammen saying that Cronenworth has been getting a little better is encouraging, but this is still a scary situation. Concussions aren't something to mess around with, so the team will allow him all the time needed to fully recover from this issue.

Due to all the knowledge that medical professionals have about concussions now, the hope is that Cronenworth doesn't have any lingering issues down the line.

“We’re probably all football fans, too. We hear a lot about the football guys getting concussions a lot. You wonder how these guys come back from them so quickly," said Stammen. "Jake’s having a tough time with it and rightly so. I’m glad that he said something finally and that we can get him right."

Before going on the injured list, Cronenworth had been struggling at the plate, which may be a direct correlation to the concussion. Overall, the veteran hit .144 with one home run and four runs batted in, while putting up an OPS of .468.

The hope is that Cronenworth can return from this problem soon and that he won't have any long-term issues. His health is the first priority, and the team will continue to monitor him before allowing him to move along in his return.

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