San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado missed last night's game with a calf cramp, so he's now day-to-day.
When San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado left Monday night’s win over the Chicago Cubs with a leg injury, manager Craig Stammen characterized his removal as “precautionary.”
But Machado missed last night’s loss to the Cubs with what’s now being described as a “left calf cramp,” and second baseman Jake Cronenworht was forced to switch sides in the infield and make his first start at third.
The Padres star is now being described as “day to day,” but it’s fair to ask if Stammen is fudging a little with this update given that calf injuries can be notoriously tough to managed.
“Manny’s doing pretty good today,” Stammen said in an update written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “[He’s] day to day with it. We feel good about where he’s at. He’s not worried about it at all. I don’t think we’re worried about it either.”
Offensively, the injury comes at a tough time for Machado. He’s gotten off to a slow start this season, but he was just starting to heat up in Mexico City, as he homered twice in the series finally against the Arizona Diamondbacks, then went 3-for-4 against the Cubs on Monday.
It sounds like Machado will be out of the lineup for today’s getaway day game against the Cubs, and the Padres have an off day tomorrow, so giving him a break would amount to a mini-stint on the IL. Stammen also soft-pedaled the idea that a formal move might be made in his comments.
“There was a big possibility that Manny was going to get a day off before this homestand was over,” the manager said.
This situation would have put the Padres in a tough spot a couple of weeks ago, but their offense has been starting to produce lately. Last night they scored just three runs in their 8-3 loss to the Cubs, but timely hitting plus the occasional offensive explosion has become part of their winning formula lately.
Cronenworth did a credible job in his debut at third after Ty France stepped in and played the hot corner on Monday night, but neither option is tenable. France is a fill-in at best, and the Padres value Cronenworth’s defense at other positions where he has experience.
Machado’s situation initially raised the possibility that Sung-Mun Song could step in at third for a few games given that the Korean signee was finally activated on Sunday night. But Song was sent back to Triple-A El Paso on Monday night, so it will be interesting to see how they handle the hot corner going forward.