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Manny Machado Back in Lineup Following Foot Injury
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado is back at the hot corner and is batting cleanup for the Friars in Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Merrill Kelly, per MLB.com. Machado didn't play in Wednesday night's 10-4 victory over the Snakes as a precaution after fouling a ball off his foot in Tuesday's win, but he'll be right back in there after just one day off. The 34-year-old seven-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger winner has 18 home runs in his 15th year in the big leagues, but he's also hitting a career-low .188 (61-for-324) with a career-high 22.7% strikeout rate in 374 plate appearances in 2026. Machado has picked things up a bit of late, though, going 15-for-59 (.254) with six home runs, five doubles, 15 RBI, 11 runs scored, and a stolen base in his last 17 games, dating back to June 20. He has plenty of experience against Kelly, but he's hit just .159 against him with a .458 OPS, one homer, and four RBI in 44 career at-bats.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
