San Diego Padres rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill has been moved up to third in the batting order for the Fourth of July on Thursday against the hosting Texas Rangers and veteran right-hander Max Scherzer. Merrill is having a breakout campaign in his first year in the big leagues for the Friars in 2024 and has been one of the league's hottest hitters of late. The 21-year-old left-handed hitter is slashing an incredible .352/.380/.727 with nine home runs, 21 RBI and two stolen bases in his last 23 games to earn the bump up to the three-hole for the first time with the Padres. If the young outfielder continues to swing a hot bat, he could stay near the top of the order, which would be bad news for infielder Jake Cronenworth. Merrill has never faced Scherzer in his career.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill went 1-for-5 in Friday's 9-2 win over the Red Sox, with his lone hit being a three-run home run in the fifth inning. It was Merrill's 11th long ball of the season and eighth in the month of June after swatting just three over the first two months of the season. The 21-year-old now has a .282-11-40-37-9 line with a .328 wOBA, 118 wRC+, and is building a strong case for NL Rookie of the Year.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill continued his recent power surge in a 6-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Merrill went 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk, and three RBI to help power his team to victory. The rookie outfielder's homer was crushed, traveling 440 feet with an exit velocity of 105.9 MPH. Merrill has been on a tear of late with seven homers over his past 10 games. Overall, he is hitting .290 with 10 homers, 34 runs, 35 RBI, and nine steals across 259 at-bats. Merrill has emerged as a quality fantasy outfielder in his debut season and needs to be locked into fantasy lineups while he's hot at the plate.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill went 1-for-3 with a home run in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Mets. It was his sixth home run of the season and third in his last two games. The former first-round draft pick has now hit safely in eight of his last nine games, a stretch in which he's gone 12-for-34 (.353) with four doubles, three home runs, five RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases. The left-handed hitter now has a .280-6-27-29-9 line on the season with a .313 wOBA and 108 wRC+.
San Diego Padres rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill logged three hits Monday night, going 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored in a 6-1 win versus the Oakland Athletics. Merrill is in the midst of a modest six-game hitting streak, where he has hit .375 with two RBI, three runs scored, and two stolen bases. The young rookie hasn't done much to be fantasy worthy, with his nine stolen bases being the only noticeable stat on the season. Being buried at the bottom of the Padres lineup with only three home runs on the season is why Merrill is only owned in 50% of fantasy leagues. Merrill remains only a deep-league add as a stolen-base threat for the foreseeable future.
San Diego Padres shortstop/outfielder Jackson Merrill went 2-for-3 at the plate on Monday with a home run. The rookie tallied a solo shot in the seventh inning, which was his third of the season. Through his first 41 games at the major-league level, the 21-year-old has a strong .291/.342/.403 slash line with six stolen bases. Merrill has played in all but one game this season for the Padres and has several strong underlying metrics, such as a 45.5% hard-hit rate and .453 xSLG, which are both significantly above-average. The former first-round selection has settled right in at the major-league level and should be rostered in all standard formats.
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 rookie outfielder Jackson Merrill (groin) was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Colorado Rockies in the series finale with right-groin tightness. As a result, Tyler Wade moved to left field while Jose Azocar got the start in center field and Eguy Rosario is playing third base. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 21-year-old youngster as day-to-day and check back on Friday to see if he's able to play in the series opener at Petco Park against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Merrill was considered the Padres' shortstop of the future while coming up through the minors, but he's been serving as the club's regular center fielder in his first year in the big leagues. He's handled himself well at the plate so far, hitting .318 (28-for-88) with a homer, 12 RBI, four stolen bases and 12 runs scored in his first 27 games at the big-league level.
Jackson Merrill Collects Three Hits, Stolen Base Monday
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill had another productive offensive game in Monday's 7-3 win over the Brewers. Merrill went 3-for-5 with three singles and a stolen base. The 20-year-old has made an excellent first impression in the big leagues, slashing .356/.433/.441 with one home run, 12 runs scored, seven RBI, and three stolen bases in 67 plate appearances. He is currently rostered in just 59% of leagues and is worth a look in all leagues at this time.
