Padres Notes: Jackson Merrill Scratched From Lineup, Major Trade Deadline Predictions, Links

Jul 10, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) walks back to the dugout after striking out during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images a | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres took a series win from the Washington Nationals on Sunday with a commanding 8-1 victory.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit a grand slam — the Padres' second of the series and the season — in the top of the first and the Friars never took their foot off the gas.

The Padres tightened their grip on the NL Wild Card with the victory, and pulled 3.5 games back from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

Jackson Merrill missed Sunday's rout, as the Padres scratched him due to an illness before the game started. They'll hope he can return for their three-game series against the Miami Marlins beginning Monday.

In other news, the Padres are reportedly "confident" in their ability to bring in a big-name player to fill out their lineup and rotation before the deadline, and may look at players such as Marcell Ozuna, Zach Eflin and Cedric Mullins, all of whom have been recently linked to the team.

Here’s more information on these stories and all the latest Padres news (click the headline for the full article):

Padres Named Best Landing Spot for 40-Homer All-Star Slugger at Trade Deadline

Padres 'Confident' They Can Make Blockbuster Trade Ahead of Deadline, Says Insider

Padres' Jackson Merrill Scratched From Sunday's Lineup vs. Nationals

Padres Predicted to Land $40 Million Pitcher, All-Star Outfielder in Blockbuster Trade

Padres vs Nationals Start Time Announced Following Weather Delay

Padres vs Nationals Won't Start on Time Saturday

Padres' Dylan Cease Apologizes to Martin Maldonado After Friday's Game

Padres Tweets of the Day:

Capitol W. pic.twitter.com/YLahEzlUAh

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 20, 2025

SLAM DIEGO? SLAM DIEGO. pic.twitter.com/wy6mhJDYZP

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 20, 2025

The Padres are 3.5 GB of the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. pic.twitter.com/vKlakSmQP7

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) July 21, 2025

Xander Bogaerts numbers recently...are these good? pic.twitter.com/q1n1LEjz3r

— Matt Skraby (@MattSkraby) July 20, 2025

Blessing the Sunday TL with some Ha-Seong Kim highlights☀️pic.twitter.com/THVuRPRG4r

— Padres Burner (@Padres_Burner69) July 20, 2025

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.