SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres reinstated center fielder Jackson Merrill from the 10-day injured list on Monday and recalled right-hander Sean Reynolds from Triple-A El Paso.
Merrill was placed on the IL with a sprained left ankle on Aug. 23, retroactive to Aug. 20. It was his third IL stint and came after he missed six straight games. He last played on Aug. 17 in a loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Merrill is hitting .261 with nine homers and 51 RBIs. He was not in the lineup for Monday's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles. Bryce Johnson started in center field and batted eighth. Manager Mike Shildt had to revise his lineup after leadoff batter Fernando Tatis Jr. was scratched just before first pitch with what the team said was lower half tightness.
The Padres entered Monday two games behind the Dodgers in the NL West while in the NL's No. 2 wild-card spot.
Reynolds (0-0, 4.98 ERA) is in his fourth stint with the Padres this year. After being optioned to El Paso on Aug. 9, he went scoreless in six of his seven relief outings with a 1.23 ERA and two saves in as many opportunities
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
