Manny Machado injury: 3 Padres players who need to step up in his absence

The San Diego Padres are down another slugger after star third baseman Manny Machado suffered an ankle injury on Sunday It’s unclear how long he will sit out, and he appears to have avoided the IL, but the Friars’ offense could be in trouble without him.

The Padres have consistently struggled offensively this season without Fernando Tatis Jr., who has been out all season with a wrist fracture. Luckily, Machado has stepped up to keep the lineup afloat, but it’s no surprise this reliance on him was not sustainable.

The Padres may be in trouble if other players don’t do the same.

Here are three who have to consistently show up in the lineup while Machado is out.

San Diego Padres outfielder Trent Grisham

Padres outfielder Trent Grisham is currently producing far less than he’s capable of. He may not be a star in the lineup, but he was hitting decent last season at .242/.327/.413 for an OPS of .740.

This season, he’s down to .188/.289/.332 for an OPS of .621, a significant difference. His numbers during June have noticeably increased, but April and May were consistently weak. Regardless, growth this season is needed from Grisham.

Last season, he was one of the stronger contributors to the team and consistently among the top five best Padres hitters. This season, he falls seventh in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. He’s slipping among a lineup that doesn’t leave much room for error.

The Padres should be able to rely on him a lot more than he’s proven this season. He’s a consistent starter, so he’s nearly always, if not always, in the lineup. Though he’s unlikely to produce results as good as Machado, he could do much more for the lineup than he’s done this season.

San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer

Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer started the season extremely well and has considerably tanked since. In April, he was hitting .389/.457/.597, which was mostly better than Machado (aside from slugging percentage). This month, he’s gone down to .175/.232/.222.

He remains among the top five hitters for the Padres and has the second-best batting average, but his performance is getting weaker and he’s seemingly becoming less reliable. It’s expected for players to have off days, but to considerably drop off over an extended period is concerning.

Realistically, he’s one of the players most capable of producing similar results to Machado. Hosmer isn’t as good of a hitter, especially not this season. However, their numbers were comparable last season, with the biggest difference being Hosmer not having as much power as Machado.

If Hosmer steps up and produces the results he did earlier in the season and seasons prior, he’d make a huge impact.