Padres' Jackson Merrill has already done something in 2026 he couldn't do last year

There is nothing more that San Diego Padres fans want to see more than for Jackson Merrill to grow into a clubhouse leader, and to slip back into his superstardom. Last year, a few injuries held Merrill back a bit, though he still found a way to register a 112 OPS+, even if it felt like there was plenty more room for him to be better.

He isn't off to a scathing start to his third MLB season, but on Monday night against the San Francisco Giants, he was able to do something that he was unable to last year, which suggests that he can still be an elite player.

Down to the Padres' final strike, Merrill lifted a two-run home run off of Ryan Walker to bring some life back to Petco Park, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Yes, it was clutch. But when you look closer at the at-bat, he roped the baseball 107.4 MPH against a slider — a pitch he did not take deep once in 2025.

Padres' Jackson Merrill crushed a slider for a home run for the first time since his rookie season

With Jake Cronenworth standing on second base with two outs, Merrill's at-bat was obviously a critical one, but in several ways. He entered that at-bat with a 2-for-14 start to the season, including an 0-for-3 night when he chased pitches well out of the zone to record an easy out.

But Merrill wasn't going down that easy in the ninth inning. It took seven pitches for Merrill to get the ball in play, but he made it count. The slider ran in on his hands, but in one heroic swing, Merrill tanked it over the first few rows at Petco Park.

Merrill had recorded four home runs off of a slider in 2024, which accounted for one-sixth of all his rookie round-trippers. He batted .266 overall against sliders that season, which then saw a major dip in 2025. Merrill was a .228 hitter against the same pitch last year.

Ultimately, the Padres lost the game on Monday, but Merrill's late magic had fans walking out of the stadium with a reminder that he is ready to lock back into being one of the game's top players.