Padres Reinstate Jackson Merrill, Option Outfielder to Triple-A

Jun 13, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the jersey of San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (3) against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres reinstated Jackson Merrill from the 7-day concussion injured list ahead of Sunday's series finale with the Kansas City Royals.

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The Friars also optioned outfielder Brandon Lockridge to Triple-A El Paso.

We have reinstated OF Jackson Merrill from the 7-day IL and optioned OF Brandon Lockridge to Triple-A El Paso.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 22, 2025

Merrill exited last Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks after second baseman Ketel Marte tagged him on the front of his helmet during his slide, and he remained on the ground for several minutes before leaving the field.

The hard tag caused Merrill to land on the concussion IL, but manager Mike Shildt had revealed the 22-year-old had already been feeling better just a few days later.

"(Doing) better, (has an) appetite, headache gone,” Shildt said of Merrill. “So gaining ground, but still a little woozy … but he’s doing better. But he’s still got some neck soreness, as you would expect, so trying to get rid of that and just trying to get him to where everything’s starting to get a little bit more than just normal.”

Merrill returns to the San Diego lineup hitting .304 with five home runs, 26 runs batted in, and an .823 OPS. He will be hitting second Sunday, which marks just the second time of his career to do so.

As for Lockridge, the outfielder returns to the minors slashing .216/.258/.261 with five RBIs and eight stolen bags. Lockridge started 12 games in left field and 11 games in center field this season for the Padres.

When Merrill landed on the IL with a hamstring strain earlier this season, the Padres turned to Lockridge to fill in. The outfielder unfortunately was also sidelined by a hamstring strain just a few games after.

Nevertheless, the Padres still have to address the ongoing struggles at left field. Perhaps president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will look to upgrade the position at the trade deadline.

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