Padres deliver Fernando Tatis Jr. injury update with Wednesday lineup drop

It's not time to panic just yet, but the Padres' lineup that was released on Wednesday is a bit unnerving. Just one day after placing Jackson Merrill on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury, San Diego is leaving two other starters out of the lineup on Wednesday against the Athletics.

Friars superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. is out of the lineup, and is dealing with left shoulder pain, reportedly as "irritation and soreness." Tatis Jr. has dealt with shoulder issues before, but he doesn't seem to be too worried about it currently.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth both out of Wednesday's lineup

It is not just Tatis Jr. who will be benched in the midweek game. Jake Cronenworth is also out after dealing with cramping in his ribs, which is from a pitch he was hit by on Sunday.

Injuries appear to be stockpiling in San Diego just 12 games into the campaign. Yu Darvish and Matt Waldron each began the year on the injured list, Manny Machado dealt with some slight calf issues, Merrill will be out for a couple of weeks, and now the club is dealing with Tatis Jr. and Cronenworth's aches.

Tatis Jr. has a .965 OPS and seven RBIs through 12 games, while Cronenworth has clipped four extra-base hits. Those are two solid guys to lose in just one day, but the Padres coaching staff is hoping that these mainstays are only out day-to-day. Fans know they cannot afford to keep losing their star players, but the staff will be cautious when dealing with the younger stars.

Oscar Gonzalez, Brandon Lockridge, and Jose Iglesias will each start on Wednesday, which makes for San Diego's most unique lineup in 2025. Hopefully they can fill the gaps nicely, but we shouldn't expect them to have to step up for much longer.