Padres Slugger Could Undergo Surgery for Lingering Foot Injury

The 30-year-old was on pace for a career high in home runs before the injury.

San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) is congratulated by San Diego Padres designated hitter Gavin Sheets (30) after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park on Aug. 10. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gavin Sheets was often a bright spot in an otherwise depressing season for San Diego Padres hitters before he was placed on the injured list Aug. 30 with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

With 16 home runs in a platoon first base/left field role, the left-handed slugger was on pace to match his career high, set in 2025, with 19 home runs.

Sheets still hasn't returned to the Padres' lineup since he sustained the injury, and might need surgery after the season, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The debilitating injury kept Sheets in a walking boot until Wednesday, when he stood in the batter's box to track pitches during Michael King's between-starts bullpen session.

Sheets put the boot back on after leaving the box, according to Acee, and might need to keep it on even after he is activated from the injured list — assuming it happens this season.

The Padres are in the thick of the National League wild-card race. In the wake of Sheets' injury, however, their lineup needs are less acute.

On the day he was placed on the injured list, the Padres' .309 weighted on-base average ranked 24th in MLB. Since then, the Padres have a .328 wOBA, 11th among the 30 teams.

Jackson Merrill's .978 OPS this month has given the Padres the reliable left-handed masher they were lacking for most of the season. That's at least taken some pressure off Sheets to provide left-handed thump against right-handed starters.

However, switch-hitting utility player Luis Rengifo also sustained a season-ending injury in August — a devastating blow at an inopportune time on the calendar. Their replacements, Sung-Mun Song and Dustin Harris, have combined for one home run in 149 plate appearances. The one thing Sheets does best — hit for power — is the one thing his replacements lack.

Sheets was a revelation in 2025 after four mostly middling seasons with the Chicago White Sox. From 2021-24, he slashed .230/.295/.385, averaging just under 12 home runs and 44 RBIs per season.

The Padres took a flier on Sheets in free agency. He responded with a career year: 19 home runs, 71 RBIs and a .252/.317/.429 slash line. He was slashing .211/.313/.388 prior to the injury — .220/.328/.426 against right-handed pitchers.

Now, the Padres hope Sheets can replicate that production in time for the postseason— and before he needs surgery.

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