3 Padres players who need a comeback season in 2022

The San Diego Padres need comeback seasons from several players if they want to contend in 2022

The San Diego Padres were favorites to be in the postseason in 2021 but fell quite short in the second half of the year.

And before this season has even begun, they’ve already experienced a hefty setback, as Fernando Tatis Jr. will be sidelined for approximately three months with a fracture that required surgery. The roster is also full of question marks in the form of players returning from injury, including Mike Clevinger, Dinelson Lamet, and Drew Pomeranz.

In the midst of all the above, the Padres need some players to step up and rebound from less-than-ideal seasons last year. Here are three players who need comeback seasons so the Padres can have a comeback season of their own…

Manny Machado

Manny Machado certainly didn’t have a bad year in 2021 – .278/.347/.489/.836, 28 home runs, 31 doubles – but it wasn’t as much power as fans have seen from him in previous years. Prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he had 32+ home runs in five straight seasons.

Machado has proven himself to be an elite hitter, but he wasn’t at the top of his game last season. Blame some of that on MLB players needing to readjust to a full season after only 60 games in 2020.

It’s not his fault that Tatis is out, but the Padres will need Machado to step up in his absence, team effort and whatnot.