San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (illness) is back in center field and is batting in the cleanup spot for Monday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi at Petco Park. Merrill was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Colorado Rockies in Denver because he was feeling under the weather, but he's good to go now and should be returned to all starting lineups in redraft leagues despite a lefty-lefty matchup against a pitcher he's never faced. The 22-year-old former 27th overall pick has been outstanding in his 56 at-bats for the Friars this year, going 25-for-56 (.446) with four home runs, 16 RBI, 12 runs and a stolen base. Since returning from an injured-list stint due to a hamstring injury, Merrill has a four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 11-for-19 with a homer, two doubles, six RBI and five runs scored.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (illness) was removed from Sunday's lineup due to an illness. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status leading up to their next contest on Monday evening against the Los Angeles Angels. Merrill recently returned from the 10-day injured list earlier this week and has picked up right where he left off, holding a stellar .579/.600/.842 slash line with two doubles, one home run, and six RBI. Before his injury, the former top prospect posted a strong .378/.415/.676 slash line with two doubles and three long balls during his first 10 games of the season. This afternoon, Merrill will be replaced by Tyler Wade, who will cover center field and bat in the nine-hole. The Padres are a strong team to target in DFS, facing Colorado right-hander German Marquez, who carries a high 9.90 ERA.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill went 2-for-4 with a home run, a run, and two RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Yankees. He's picked up right where he left off after missing a month with a hamstring strain, producing two multi-hit games in his first two games back. He's batting .400 over 12 games this season with four home runs and one stolen base. The 22-year-old will look to build on his elite 2024 rookie season and figures to be a top-15 outfielder for fantasy for years to come.

The San Diego Padres have activated outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) off the 10-day injured list prior to their contest against the New York Yankees on Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the Padres optioned backstop Luis Campusano to Triple-A El Paso. The sophomore outfielder has been sidelined since April 6 with a right hamstring strain. Before his injury, the former top prospect was enjoying an impressive start to his second MLB season, holding a .378/.415/.676 slash line with three home runs and one stolen base. During his debut campaign in 2024, Merrill was the everyday center fielder and posted a solid .292/.326/.500 line with 24 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect Merrill to remain a high-end OF2 given his five-category potential.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) has been traveling on Monday and is believed to have arrived in New York only a short while ago, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. The plan is for Merrill to come off the 10-day injured list and play in the second game of the series in the Bronx against the Yankees on Tuesday. Brandon Lockridge will make the start in center field on Monday and will hit ninth against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon, who he has never faced. In addition to traveling on Monday, it's a rainy and wet day in New York, so the Padres aren't going to risk throwing Merrill back out there in those conditions. He's been out since early April with a strained right hamstring, but he's on the cusp on returning and should be thrown back in all starting fantasy lineups immediately. The 22-year-old was on fire before his injury, slashing .378/.415/.676 with a 1.090 OPS in 37 at-bats.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) will join Double-A San Antonio for what is expected to be a two-game rehab assignment on Saturday and Sunday. The 22-year-old is expected to rejoin the big league club on Monday against the Yankees, assuming he has no setbacks. The 2024 All-Star was off to a great start this season before the injury, hitting .378 with a 1.090 OPS, .462 wOBA, and a 200 wRC+ over 41 plate appearances, so fantasy managers who spent a lot of draft capital on the left-handed slugger will welcome him back with open arms. Tyler Wade has been filling in at center field and will cede playing time to Merrill once he returns.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) is "towards the finish line" of his rehab, according to manager Mike Shildt. Merrill has spent a couple days at the team's spring training complex in Arizona this week taking live at-bats, and it's unclear if he'll require a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list. The 22-year-old landed on the IL on April 8 with a right-hamstring strain but is knocking on the door to return to the big-league roster, possibly by the end of the weekend series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates if he doesn't need a rehab assignment. If he doesn't rejoin the Padres this weekend, it could come next week in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. Merrill was a first-time All-Star in his rookie season in 2024 and was squaring the ball up regularly before his injury in 10 games, going 14-for-37 with three homers and 10 RBI.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) was able to take batting practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. This is a positive step forward for Merrill who is working his way back from a right hamstring strain. The hope is that Merrill can get into some minor league games within the next few days. If everything goes well, Merrill should be able to get back in the Padres lineup in the early stages of May. Fantasy managers should continue to hold Merrill as he should be back in the mix soon.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) will likely not return to action next week. According to manager Mike Shildt, it is "a little aggressive" to expect the budding star back in the starting nine next week. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression, but it appears the former top prospect will have to wait at least another week before returning. Merrill was enjoying an impressive start to the campaign as he posted a .378/.415/.676 slash line across 10 contests. During this hot start, he tallied two doubles, hit three home runs, and swiped a bag. Before the injury, the Padres signed the 22-year-old to a massive nine-year extension, suggesting he will be the everyday center fielder in San Diego for the next decade. While he remains sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Tyler Wade and Connor Joe to share time in center field.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) is ramping up to baseball activity, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. He was on the field for early batting practice and practiced bunting, but wasn't doing any running yet. There's still no definite timetable for Merrill, who is recovering from a right hamstring strain that he suffered during the first week of April. At the time, he had already racked up three home runs and 10 RBI with a .378 batting average through his first 10 games.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) is heading to the 10-day injured list due to a hamstring injury, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. Merrill appears to be walking fine, but his recovery isn't progressing as quickly as the team had hoped, and the Padres have decided to exercise caution with the star outfielder. Brandon Lockridge is making another start in center field for the Friars on Tuesday against the A's, with Jose Iglesias getting the nod in left field against left-handed starter Jeffrey Springs. Fantasy managers will keep their fingers crossed that it's a minimum IL stay for the 21-year-old, who has quickly become one of the best young outfielders in the game after a breakout first season in the big leagues in 2024. Lockridge should now be in line for regular playing time in center field for however long Merrill is sidelined.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (hamstring) is sitting out for Monday's series opener in Sacramento against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park due to a balky hamstring, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. It's a precautionary move and could stretch into Tuesday's game. Fantasy managers will be hoping that this is something that doesn't linger for the 21-year-old star, who is batting .378 (14-for-37) in the early going (10 games) while leading the team with three home runs and 10 RBI. Brandon Lockridge has moved to center field and will bat eighth on Monday, while Jason Heyward is in left and batting seventh against A's right-hander Luis Severino. Both Lockridge and Heyward are DFS options to avoid on Monday. Lockridge has never faced Severino, while Heyward has a solo homer in just four career at-bats against him.

The San Diego Padres rewarded young outfielder Jackson Merrill with a nine-year, $135 million contract extension on Wednesday morning, and then he proceeded to go 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a run scored and a strikeout in the 5-2 win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians at Petco Park. Merrill's second home run of the 2025 campaign came off right-hander Ben Lively and extended the Padres' lead to 4-0 at the time. The 21-year-old seems to be finding barrels every time he swings the lumber in the early going of just his second MLB season, as he entered Wednesday's contest against Cleveland with eight hits in 20 at-bats with six RBI in six games played. In a strong Padres lineup, Merrill's fantasy arrow is pointing firmly up. He was an All-Star and won a Silver slugger award as a rookie in 2023, when he slashed an impressive .292/.326/.500 with 24 homers, 16 steals and 90 RBI in 593 plate appearances.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill went 1-for-3 with a home run in his team's 7-0 win against the Cleveland Guardians. The 21-year-old scored twice, with one RBI, walk, and strikeout. Merrill smashed his first home run in the bottom of the fourth inning -- a down-and-in Logan Allen cutter that he deposited over the right-center-field wall at 106.5 MPH. He's been excellent over the first six games, batting an even .400 (8-for-20) with six RBI, four runs scored, and a 3:2 K:BB ratio. The former first-round pick holds an impressive .423 xBA, cutting his strikeout rate and boosting his BB% from a season ago, albeit in a small sample.

The San Diego Padres have signed outfielder Jackson Merrill to a nine-year contract extension worth $135 million. The contract can max out at $204 million and includes a $30 million club option for a tenth season, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Merrill was drafted with the 27th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Severna Park HS. The 21-year-old made his MLB debut last summer and performed at an elite level, posting a .292/,326/.500 slash line. He tallied 24 long balls with 16 stolen bases. Under the hood, he generated an elite .372 xwOBA, .303 xBA, and a .534 xSLG, which were all well above the average marks. In addition, Merrill was placed in the 97th percentile in range and 90th in arm strength. Fantasy managers should expect Merrill to be the everyday center fielder in San Diego for the next decade. He should continue to be viewed as a high-end OF2 in all fantasy formats.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill went 1-for-3 in the team's 7-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day, with a single and four RBI. He did not walk or strikeout. The 21-year-old got the scoring started for the Friars in the bottom of the first, slapping a single into shallow center field, plating teammates Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Though Merrill would not record another hit, he'd knock in Machado again two innings later on a groundout and then once more in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to right. The former first-round pick hit fifth on Thursday and will be afforded many more RBI opportunities while batting in the heart of the Padres' order.

San Diego Padres rookie outfielder Jackson Merrill (knee) fouled a ball off his leg (just above his knee) in Friday night's win over the division-rival San Francisco Giants at Petco Park and was replaced in center field by Tyler Wade due to a left-patellar contusion, according to the team. Before hitting the showers early, Merrill went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the 5-1 victory. The good news for the 21-year-old is that X-rays came back clear on his knee, so fantasy managers can consider him day-to-day heading into Game 2 of the series on Saturday. Don't be surprised if Merrill is out, though. The former 27th overall pick in 2021 has been a huge clutch piece of the Friars' offense in his first year in the big leagues in 2024 and entered Friday's game with a .292/.323/.498 slash line with an .821 OPS, 22 homers, 82 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Merrill is relevant in all fantasy formats and hopefully won't miss too much time.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill came up clutch for his team during Sunday's game against the New York Mets. The rookie slugger saved his lone hit of the game for the ninth inning. Merrill blasted a solo home run off right-hander Edwin Diaz to give his team the win. The left-handed slugger is now tied with Colton Cowser for the most homers by a rookie at 19. He's hitting .288 with 72 RBI across 127 games this season. Fantasy managers should continue locking Merrill into their lineup on a daily basis.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill homered on Saturday in a 9-8 victory over the Miami Marlins. Merrill connected in the eighth inning off reliever Anthony Bender, tying the game at eight runs apiece. The rookie sensation is hitting .294 with 17 home runs, 64 RBI, 13 stolen bases, and 58 runs scored on the season. He has become a stalwart for the Padres, who have won seven games in a row and are surging in the NL West.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill had a big night in his team's 6-2 win over the Miami Marlins in 10 innings on Friday. Merrill went 3-for-4 with a triple, a homer, a walk, two RBI, and two stolen bases in the extra-innings win. The rookie's solo homer came at a very opportune time as it tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning. Merrill is putting together a strong debut season, hitting .294 with four triples, 16 homers, 57 runs, 62 RBI, and 13 steals over 398 at-bats. He's been red-hot of late, hitting .418 with four homers and 16 RBI over his past 15 contests.