Padres dealt crushing blow as Manny Machado leaves game with injury

Manny Machado leaves Padres game with ankle injury, x-rays negative

Manny Machado has been carrying the San Diego Padres lineup since Opening Day.

Now, they’re going to have to figure out how to win without him.

On Sunday, Machado left the game with a left ankle sprain sustained when he tried to beat out an infield grounder and fell. X-rays were negative for fractures, but he’s not out of the woods; a sprain can take weeks to heal, and then he’ll need to rehab. A stint on the Injured List is all but guaranteed, a crushing blow to him and his team.

The Padres’ biggest bat came into Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies hitting .329/.401/.548 with a .949 OPS. Over his first 65 games, he amassed 83 hits, including 17 doubles, a triple, and 12 home runs. He’s scored 48 times, driven in 46 runners, and stolen seven bags.

Machado currently leads MLB players in WAR and WPA and ranks second in the NL in batting average, on-base and offensive win percentages, hits, singles, runs created, and times on base. He’s third in OPS, OPS+, runs scored, and adjusted batting runs and wins, and fourth in slugging percentage and total bases, and seventh in RBI.

In other words, he’s been doing a lot for his team.

Can the Padres win without Manny Machado?

Even with Machado in the lineup, the Padres’ offense has struggled to keep its head above league-average waters. They’re well below average in slugging and OPS, and while they’ve picked up the pace in hitting and scoring runs, without Fernando Tatis Jr., they’re one of the lowest-power squads; the only NL team with fewer home runs is the Washington Nationals. Losing Machado for any amount of time will hurt them.

It’s hard to see the Padres keeping pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers without Machado’s power in the lineup. Hopefully, they won’t have to attempt it for too long.