The San Diego Padres are shaking up their batting order ahead of their series opener against the Atlanta Braves on Monday, moving the surging Samad Taylor into the nine-hole in a strategic bid to ignite their struggling offence.
Taylor, who has been a bright spot for the team since his call-up from Triple-A El Paso, will bat ninth, effectively serving as a "second leadoff hitter" ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr. at the top of the lineup. The move is a calculated gamble by the Padres' coaching staff to generate more offensive opportunities.
Taylor's recent performance
The decision to experiment with Taylor’s position comes as no surprise given his formidable performance. In an extremely small sample size of 13 games, Taylor has posted an .870 on-base plus slugging (OPS), the highest among all active Padres players. He is currently hitting .362/.423/.447, providing a much-needed jolt to the lineup.
Since being promoted, Taylor has been utilized in various spots in the batting order. He has had two starts in the eight-hole, six in the sixth spot, and three consecutive starts batting second. On Sunday, he even filled in at the leadoff position while Tatis Jr. had a scheduled day off. This latest move to the ninth spot is another attempt by the Padres to find the optimal position for a player whose speed and on-base ability have quickly made him indispensable.
The strategic thinking behind placing a high-on-base player at the bottom of the order is to ensure there are runners on base when the lineup turns over to the high-power hitters at the top. With Taylor’s speed, the potential for stolen bases, bunts, and aggressive baserunning could create scoring chances before Tatis, Jackson Merrill, and Manny Machado even step to the plate.
Struggling Padres offence needs a spark
The Padres’ management is hoping this adjustment can provide a spark for an offence that has been sputtering. During a recent 4-5 road trip, the team managed a meagre batting line of .235/.303/.392. While a slight improvement, it’s still uncomfortably close to their season-long batting line of .220/.293/.364, which ranks among the worst in the league. These numbers underscore the urgency behind the lineup experiments, an urgency also felt in Toronto where Kazuma Okamoto provides power for struggling Blue Jays.
For Monday's game, the rest of the lineup will see Tatis Jr. (.707 OPS) leading off, followed by centre fielder Jackson Merrill (.636 OPS) and third baseman Manny Machado (.625 OPS). Designated hitter Gavin Sheets (.766 OPS) will bat cleanup, with Ty France (.654 OPS) at first base, Xander Bogaerts (.654 OPS) at shortstop, Will Wagner (.739 OPS) at second, and Rodolfo Durán (.615 OPS) catching.
New broadcast deal expands reach in Mexico
Off the field, the Padres announced a significant new broadcast agreement with TV Azteca Baja California. The partnership will see eight regular-season games televised free-to-air on ADN Noticias (Channel 28) in Mexico. This makes the Padres the only Major League Baseball team to have their games transmitted over the air for free in the country, a major step in strengthening the team's cross-border fan base.
The broadcast will feature the Padres TV video feed with Spanish-language radio commentary from Eduardo Ortega and former Padres catcher Carlos Hernandez. The first game under the new deal is scheduled for June 27 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with subsequent games planned throughout July and August.
All-Star voting and injury updates
As the MLB All-Star Game approaches, the latest fan ballot update shows limited Padres representation. Only third baseman Manny Machado (sixth at his position with 384,622 votes), designated hitter Miguel Andujar (ninth with 102,921 votes), and outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (17th with 415,848 votes) appear in the current standings. The first phase of voting concludes on Thursday morning, with the top two players at each position advancing to the next round.
On the injury front, catcher Freddy Fermin is still awaiting final clearance from concussion protocol after travelling with the team back to San Diego. Catcher Luis Campusano (toe) and second baseman Jake Cronenworth (concussion) have both progressed to facing live pitching in Arizona, though Campusano is also nursing a minor left oblique tweak. The team hopes to have these key players, whose absence has been felt in recent Padres games, back in action soon.
Pitching matchup preview
Monday's pitching matchup features a study in contrasts. The Padres will send right-hander Michael King (4-6, 3.60 ERA) to the mound. King has been in a slump since a dominant performance against the Dodgers on May 18, posting a 6.41 ERA and allowing six home runs over his last five starts. The Padres have lost four of those five games. However, King has a history of success against the Braves, including a masterful seven-inning shutout performance in Game 1 of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series.
He will face Braves right-hander Grant Holmes (4-3, 4.33 ERA), who has also had recent difficulties. Holmes has recorded just one quality start in his last five outings, with an ERA of 5.48 over that span. He has struggled with command, managing to complete five innings just twice in those five games. In his only previous encounters with the Padres in 2025, he allowed just one run over eight innings across two appearances.
The first phase of All-Star balloting will officially end at 9 a.m. on Thursday, when the top vote-getters advance to the next stage of selection.
