San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 4-3 win over the Braves. The home run was his first of the season and couldn't have come at a better time, as the solo shot broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth and would eventually prove to be the game-winner. Cronenworth came in second in NL Rookie of the Year voting back in 2020 and earned All-Star nods the next two seasons, but from 2022-24, he's owned a .237/.323/.387 slash line with a .312 wOBA and 103 wRC+. We'll see if he gets back to the earlier version of himself this season. The 31-year-old still makes good contact, registering a career 85.6 percent Contact%, so another double-digit home run, 70-plus RBI, 70-runs scored campaign should at least be in store.
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said he doesn't foresee second baseman Jake Cronenworth playing first base this year. "I don't see it on the radar at the moment," Shildt said. Cronenworth enters the 2025 season with eligibility at both second and first base after splitting time at the two positions in 2024. Losing Ha-Seong Kim in free agency means that Xander Bogaerts will be at shortstop full time and Cronenworth will be at the keystone full time. At first base, Luis Arraez is expected to handle most of the playing time. The 31-year-old left-handed-hitting Cronenworth batted .241/.324/.390 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI, five steals and 72 runs in 653 plate appearances last year. He makes plenty of contact but only has middling power. Given the fact that he rarely runs, Cronenworth settles in as useful middle infield depth to target late in fantasy drafts.
Jake Cronenworth With A Five-Hit Performance Friday
San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate in Friday's 9-5 win over the Brewers. His day included three singles, a double, and the 12th home run of the season for the 30-year-old. He also collected a pair of RBI and scored four times. Cronenworth had been scuffling coming into the series with Milwaukee, going 2-for-24 (.083) over the seven games prior to this series, but has now homered in back-to-back games and recorded seven hits in 10 at-bats. The former seventh-round draft pick is having a bounce-back season after hitting just .229 with a .301 wOBA and 92 wRC+ last year. His BA currently stands at .266 with a .345 wOBA and 129 wRC+.
San Diego Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth went 2-for-5 with two runs and a home run in Thursday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Cronenworth's biggest hit of the night was the biggest of the game, as he hit a 401-foot home run off Joel Payamps to the bleachers to win the contest. The versatile infielder has spent most of his time at second base this season and has recovered well after a disappointing 2023 campaign. He has now topped his home run total from last season and is hitting .254 with 11 homers and 47 RBI and should be rostered in most formats.
San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano will take a seat Saturday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kyle Higashioka will start behind the plate for the Friars and will catch knuckleballer Matt Waldron. Campusano is hitting .283 with three home runs, 23 RBI and 17 runs scored. This looks to be a standard day off for Campusano in the second game of the series. Higashioka is hitting just .194 (6-for-31) on the year with a homer and two RBI and will be a catching option to avoid in DFS in the nine-hold for the Padres against Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander James Paxton.
Jake Cronenworth Resting Saturday With Lefty On Mound
San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth is out of the lineup on Saturday for the Padres tilt against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With James Paxton on the mound, and Cronenworth struggling deeply against lefties, the Padres will start Luis Arraez at first base in his place. While Cronenworth has been excellent this season with an .841 OPS, that drops to just .437 when facing lefties. This decision would appear to simply be platoon-based and shouldn't raise any concerns with fantasy managers. Expect Cronenworth to be back in the lineup on Sunday when the Los Angeles Dodgers start right-hander Walker Buehler.
San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth slapped a go-ahead grand slam in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds, propelling his team to victory with four RBI. Cronenworth's round-tripper came in the seventh inning, taking Reds right-hander Fernando Cruz deep to right field for a 400-foot blast. On the season, the 30-year-old righty masher is slashing a healthy .265/.343/.470 with five homers, seven doubles, 24 RBI, and 17 runs scored in 137 plate appearances (31 games) for the Friars and remains a solid mixed-league fantasy asset in San Diego's high-scoring lineup. A three-game set against three right-handed pitchers and the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks begins on Friday. In 13 games against Arizona in 2023, Cronenworth hit a strong .313 (15-for-49) with a homer, seven RBI, and six runs scored.
San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth (calf) has returned to the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old has missed each of the last two games due to a minor right-calf issue. However, Cronenworth will be back in there at first base and batting third against right-hander Yariel Rodriguez on Friday. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Cronenworth back in their lineups.
San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth (calf) is not in the lineup on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers after being pulled from Monday's 7-3 win with calf tightness late in the game. The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee points out that the Padres recalled infielder Matthew Batten from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, which presumably means that Cronenworth will miss some time with his injury. However, he hasn't officially been placed on the injured list, so it could just be a day-to-day situation for now. Jurickson Profar is handling first base and batting third on Tuesday, while Jose Azocar is in left field and batting ninth against Brewers left-hander Wade Miley. Profar is hitting .417 with an RBI in 12 career at-bats against Miley, while Azocar has gone hitless versus the soft-tossing lefty in four career ABs.
San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth (calf) felt tightness in his calf while trying to beat out a ground ball in the eighth inning in Monday's 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He played first base in the bottom of the eighth frame before being replaced at first base by Brett Sullivan in the ninth inning. "Too early to tell," manager Mike Shildt said about Cronenworth's injury. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the game before departing early. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter should be considered day-to-day for now, while fantasy managers should check back on Tuesday to see if there's an update on his condition and whether he'll be in the starting lineup. Cronenworth entered the week hitting .265 (18-for-68) with three homers and 14 RBI on the year in 18 games played.
Jake Cronenworth
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Padres
