Padres are stuck with the most confusing version of Manny Machado yet

The story of Manny Machado's season is hard to define. He's had his usual share of clutch moments, like his clutch extra-inning homer against the Texas Rangers over the weekend. He's also currently in a dance with Dansby Swanson for the worst qualified batting average in baseball as he fights through the worst offensive campaign of his career.

By just about any metric, 2026 Machado is the worst Machado we've ever seen at the plate. His 10.2% walk rate is a career high, but even that hasn't been enough to save from his personal worsts in wRC+ (81), OPS (.649), or fWAR (0.6, on pace for a career-low 1.2).

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Craig Stammen has refused to move him out of the heart of the lineup; Machado is the only player on the Padres' roster who hasn't hit lower than fourth in the order this year. The skipper says it's due to trust and the third baseman's Hall-of-Fame track record, but is it time to finally consider sliding him down the lineup card?

Examining why Padres refuse to move Manny Machado out of the middle of the lineup

The most obvious reason for Machado's permanent place in the three- or four-hole is that the rest of the Padres' offense has been just as brutally bad as he has. Jackson Merrill has been even worse this season (78 wRC+) and Fernando Tatis Jr. has hit two home runs in 76 games. With Xander Bogaerts mustering a .228 batting average and the trio of Jake Cronenworth, Ramon Laureano, and Luis Campusano on the bench, who else would hit in the middle of the Friars' lineup?

At the very least, Machado's power output has actually been fine. His 14 home runs lead the team, while his ISO (.199) ranks fifth and his slugging percentage (.384) ranks sixth. Those aren't elite marks in the grand scheme of things, but in the offensive wasteland that is Petco Park in 2026, Machado represents one of the Padres' best chances at going for extra bases.

It's also true that his underlying data isn't as gnarly as his batting average. The 33-year-old's bat speed remains in near-elite territory, while his exit velocities and hard-hit rate are still above league average. It's not like all the life has been sucked out of his bat.

But, truth be told, even if his metrics backed up the deep regression he's shown at the plate, it'd still be difficult to justify moving Machado around in the batting order. There are 7.5 years remaining on his gargantuan $350 million contract, and he'll only become more prominent in the "worst contract in baseball" discussions as he gets older.

For now, while he still has a semblance of his old self and the rest of the Padres' offense struggles, it's probably for the best that Stammen keeps Machado's confidence high. If anything can help him stave off further regression, it's that.

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