San Diego Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill departed Wednesday evening’s contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers after playing just four innings due to what appears to be a back injury.
The injury seemed to occur when Merrill jumped in an attempt to catch Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff home run to begin the game. Throughout the following three innings, Merrill was observed stretching his back repeatedly.
Before the start of the third inning, San Diego manager Craig Stammen and a trainer approached Merrill but allowed him to continue playing. Bryce Johnson was prepared to pinch-hit for Merrill in the fourth inning, but Xander Bogaerts made the final out of the inning instead.
Johnson took over Merrill’s defensive position in center field when the fifth inning began. When Merrill left the game, Los Angeles held a 2-0 advantage.
In his single plate appearance, Merrill struck out, causing his batting average to fall to .203.
