Manny Machado injury update: Pades 3B walking with no limp but timeline unclear

The San Diego Padres faced a sudden disadvantage when slugger Manny Machado was sidelined with an in-game ankle injury.

The severity of the injury was initially unclear, but luckily, he’s not likely to be added to the injured list. He’s yet to return since injury and there’s no clear timeline yet of when he will.

Machado has reportedly taken the field with no present limp to test his ankle.

Machado’s been carrying lineup with issues in the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr., who has been out all season from a wrist fracture. The Padres were able to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks in the home-game series without Machado, but they’re likely in trouble if he has to sit out for a while.

San Diego Padres could face a lot of trouble without Manny Machado

The Padres kicked off a home-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies last night with a 6-2 loss, and Machado’s absence was noticeable.

He will be absent from Friday’s lineup as well.

Machado brings power to the lineup that no other current Padres player can. He has the highest isolated power at .217 and has contributed the most runs. He also has the highest home run count (12) and is hitting significantly better than the rest of the team at .328/.400/.545.

He is one of the best hitters in the entire league, but the Padres as a team aren’t anywhere near the best compared to other teams. The Friars have the 13th-highest strikeout count (595) and are 19th in slugging percentage. They’re 25th in isolated power (.140).

On the other hand, the Phillies have a pretty strong lineup with sluggers such as Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. The Phillies are 7th in isolated power (.169) and have the sixth-highest slugging percentage (.415).

The Friars will struggle to beat the Phillies without sluggers. Unfortunately, with Machado out, there’s no clear fix to the issue other than to wait for him to heal.