Jackson Merrill Injury Update: Padres Announce News After Leaving Dodgers Game

San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill was removed from Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On the first pitch of the game, Merrill attempted to rob Shohei Ohtani's home run. After the inning, he was seen wincing on the bench, as it appeared he injured his back on the leap.

Merrill has been struggling at the plate as of late, totaling just two hits in his past eight games. Going into Wednesday, he had just a .205 batting average with four home runs and 19 RBIs.

Despite his struggles at the dish, Merrill has played a very solid center field and would be a big loss for the Padres if his injury is serious.

After Merrill was struck out once and played the four three innings in the field, he was taken out of the game as he was replaced by Bryce Johnson defensively in the top of the fifth inning.

Once he was removed, Padres manager Craig Stammen announced an update on why Merrill left the game.

"Craig Stammen said Jackson Merrill is feeling discomfort in his back after going up against the fence for the Ohtani homer," according to NBC San Diego reporter Darnay Tripp. "He's getting testing done."

Shohei Ohtani hits the first pitch of the game out of the park pic.twitter.com/opPe7iogy4

— MLB (@MLB) May 21, 2026

Stammen and an athletic trainer visited Merrill after his strikeout in the second inning, but they permitted him to stay in the game for the next two frames.

If Merrill ends up being placed on the injured list, he would be just the latest in a long list of injuries this season for San Diego. The Padres already have second baseman Jake Cronenworth, catcher Luis Campusano, starting pitcher Joe Musgrove and many others on the injured list.

After Wednesday's game, the Dodgers took a 1.5-game lead in the National League West over the Padres, as San Diego dropped to 29-20 on the season. The injury-riddled Padres will look to get back on track against the Athletics on Friday at 9:40 p.m. ET.

Related: Jackson Merrill Update: Padres Remove Outfielder From Lineup Before Brewers Game

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 8:42 PM.