Padres Injury Update: Samad Taylor hits IL, Freddy Fermin rehab, Luis Rengifo promoted

The Padres finally found something with Samad Taylor, and it seems like it’s just their luck that he now finds himself on the shelf. Taylor is headed to the 10-day IL with a strained right oblique, Luis Rengifo is back in the majors after getting his contract selected from Triple-A El Paso.

Taylor had just become one of the Padres’ most useful surprises. He was slashing .330/.410/.398 with 1 home run, 11 RBI, and six stolen bases in 26 games after being called up in June.

He gave the Padres a much-needed athletic option in the outfield. And most importantly, he gave them a solution they didn’t have to go out and get at the trade deadline. 

Padres lose Samad Taylor just as he was solving a real roster problem

The Padres placed Taylor on the IL after he sustained the injury during Tuesday’s game against the Diamondbacks. Taylor apparently believes the issue is minor, but we also know how this usually goes with obliques. They are tricky injuries. Everyone uses the phrase “day-to-day.” Then suddenly a week can become three, and three becomes a month.

Rengifo can be a solid replacement. He’s a switch-hitter. He can move around the diamond. Since the start of 2025, he has played all four infield spots and all three outfield spots. The more important question is which version of Rengifo the Friars will get.

He struggled earlier this season with the Brewers, posting a .537 OPS in 57 games before being released. The Padres signed him to a minor-league deal, sent him to El Paso, and he hit .320 with two homers in six games. That’s encouraging. But it’s also six games in El Paso.

In the meantime, Jase Bowen got the start in left field in the Padres 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks. He may get the first crack at the everday job while Rengifo moves around the diamond to get others off their feet.

Padres get encouraging Freddy Fermin update after latest head injury scare

The best news of this update is Freddy Fermin beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso after he took a hard foul tip off his catcher’s mask and landed on the IL with a head bruise. He cleared concussion protocol, which is the most important part. But this is also where the Padres should be smart about it. Fermin had already missed time in June on the 7-day concussion injured list for a separate head injury. This latest stint is officially for a contusion, not a concussion, but we shouldn’t play word games with head injuries. Catchers already take a beating. Fermin has taken more than enough lately.

The Padres are a team trying to stay afloat while pretending they aren’t constantly one roster move away from another spiral. Taylor wasn’t supposed to be a centerpiece, and yet his injury now feels meaningful because the lineup lost its sparkplug. Rengifo wasn’t supposed to be a midseason storyline, and yet the Friars are hoping he can help cover cracks in their armor.  

That is not how many expected this team with this much money and this many big names should feel in July.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow