San Diego Padres Roster
- NL West
- Stadium
- PETCO Park
San Diego Padres backstop Luis Campusano will be on the bench on Sunday as the Padres hope to avoid a three-game sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 25-year-old has made three consecutive starts and has posted an overall .286/.316/.396 line. Campusano currently holds an excellent 10.5% K rate, placing him in the top 97th percentile among qualified hitters. Kyle Higashioka will slot in behind the dish today and will face Taijuan Walker, who will make his season debut. Higashioka is a desperation play in DFS as he is riding a .190/.190/.381 line with just one RBI. Campusano should be expected to return to the lineup as the Padres open a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (groin) is back in the lineup on Saturday for a tilt against Ranger Suarez and the Philadelphia Phillies. Merrill had been dealing with groin tightness and was scratched prior to Thursday's game against the Colorado Rockies. After missing two games the rookie appears to be in a better spot and his tightness has subsided. Merrill has had a solid start to the season, slashing .318/.378/.409 in 98 PA for the Padres. Expectations may need to be tempered in his return on Saturday, though, as Merrill has been much less effective against lefties. He should be avoided Saturday in DFS formats, but will have a string of right-handed matchups coming up over the next week that will make him a viable option in most fantasy formats.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (groin) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 21-year-old was held out of Thursday's game as well due to a lingering groin issue. The organization is hopeful that Merrill will be able to avoid the injured list. For now, Jose Azocar will cover center field and bat ninth versus right-hander Aaron Nola.
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado has been activated off the paternity leave list on Friday. That is great news after Machado missed a few games earlier in the week due to a personal matter. He's batting fourth and covering third base during Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. In a corresponding move, infielder Matthew Batten has been optioned to the minors. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Machado back in their lineups.
San Diego Padres shortstop prospect Leodalis De Vries tallied his first four professional RBI on Thursday. De Vries made his professional debut at Single-A earlier this week and has already begun to make headlines. The 17-year-old tallied two hits on Thursday, a single and a triple, which brought in four runs. Throughout his first three professional games, he has posted a .308/.357/.538 stat line with one stolen base and two extra-base hits. The number five overall prospect in the San Diego system is still several years away from reaching the major leagues but is a name worth monitoring in dynasty leagues as he has the potential to be a budding superstar in the future.