Padres' No. 2 prospect Merrill makes Opening Day roster
The San Diego Padres officially selected Jackson Merrill, one of baseball's top prospects, to their major-league roster ahead of Wednesday's season opener in Seoul, South Korea.
Merrill is expected to start in center field - a position he's never played - Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Gocheok Sky Dome. At 20 years and 335 days old, he'll become just the third player in the last 50 years to man center field on Opening Day before turning 21, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Andruw Jones, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
The season opener will also mark Merrill's first professional game above Double-A, where he played 46 contests last season. But his lack of experience didn't stop the Padres from deciding he was ready for the show. Merrill tore up the Cactus League this spring, hitting .351/.400/.595 with two homers and six RBIs in 13 games while recording as many walks (three) as strikeouts.
"He's earned his way on the plane," manager Mike Shildt said last week when announcing Merrill would be on the team's Seoul roster.
Merrill ranks as the Padres' No. 2 prospect and No. 12 overall, according to MLB.com. San Diego drafted him in the first round (27th overall) in 2021. The Baltimore native was selected as a shortstop and made just five appearances as an outfielder - all in left field - before moving to center in camp.
In addition to Merrill, the Padres selected infielder Graham Pauley to their roster. Pauley, San Diego's No. 8 prospect, made the team after hitting .314/.400/.486 in spring training. The 23-year-old posted a .931 OPS across three minor-league levels last year and can play second, third, and left field.
San Diego's other roster moves included selecting veteran infielder Tyler Wade and optioning catcher Brett Sullivan and reliever Woo-Suk Go to Triple-A El Paso. Pitchers Pedro Avila, Dylan Cease, and Matt Waldron have been designated as extras for the two-game Seoul Series in the event of injuries.