Padres can’t avoid lineup chaos with Jackson Merrill’s return

The San Diego Padres should be thrilled at the thought of Jackson Merrill returning to the field. Their budding star center fielder has battled his way through a season littered with frustrating injuries and multiple stints on the IL, yet he’s still managed to be productive in his 91 games played. Merrill’s current line, .264/.317/.413 with nine home runs and 51 RBIs doesn’t leap off the page, but considering the stop-and-start nature of his season, it’s respectable.

The issue? It’s hard to ignore the nagging sense that 2025 has been a step back from his stellar rookie campaign. Merrill’s rhythm has been disrupted, his availability questioned, and now the Padres face an even bigger problem: what to do with the lineup once he returns.

Jackson Merrill’s looming return puts Padres lineup in a bind

Mike Shildt and his staff have been juggling pieces all season, but the front office didn’t exactly make things easier when they aggressively upgraded at the deadline. Ramón Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn, and Freddy Fermín were all brought in to bolster depth, and each has delivered. Laureano, in particular, has looked like a steal, hitting .302/.356/.573 with six home runs and 20 RBIs since joining the club. His defense is steady, his bat is scorching hot, and he’s made it impossible to keep him out of the lineup.

O’Hearn has been no slouch either, slashing .254/.349/.423 with three home runs and 10 RBIs while giving the Padres another left-handed threat. Even Fermín, tasked with the full-time catching role, has chipped in timely hits and given the offense production it lacked earlier in the season.

And that’s where the chaos begins. Merrill is too valuable not to play every day. His glove in center field raises the team’s floor defensively, and his upside at the plate can be game-changing. But who sits? Shildt can try to buy Merrill time at DH, but that spot has already become a revolving door, rotated between stars in need of rest and bats that can’t find a defensive home. He could try easing Merrill in, but in a razor-thin NL West race, the luxury of patience doesn’t really exist.

You can’t bench Laureano when he’s one of the hottest hitters in the league. You can’t completely sideline O’Hearn when he’s producing more than Luis Arraez lately. And you can’t afford to stunt Merrill’s rhythm by limiting his at-bats.

For all the moves the Padres made to strengthen their roster, they’ve inadvertently created a problem no manager wants: too many players deserving of at-bats and not enough spots to give them. If Shildt handles it right, this is the kind of “good problem” that fuels a deep playoff run. If he doesn’t, it risks throwing off the balance of a lineup that’s finding its stride.

One thing is certain, Jackson Merrill’s return won’t bring clarity. It’ll bring chaos, and the Padres will have to embrace it if they want to chase down the NL West crown.

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