SAN DIEGO — CJ Abrams is back, and the Padres are hoping the presence of their top prospect could soften the impact of the injury-related loss of superstar third baseman Manny Machado.
The Padres promoted Abrams ahead of Monday’s series opener against the D-Backs at Petco Park, a day after Machado suffered a sprained left ankle in Colorado. Machado appears to have avoided significant damage to his left leg and he has yet to make the injury list. But an IL stint remains a possibility and Machado wasn’t on the starting line-up Monday night.
In the meantime, it appears Abrams is likely to take on most of the playing time in Machado’s absence. Abrams was in the lineup, batting for eighth and playing shortstop while Ha-Seong Kim slipped from shortstop to third base.
“I hope Machado recovers quickly,” said Abrams. “Hopefully he’ll be back soon.”
Abrams, the No. 6 in baseball per MLB Pipeline, broke camp with the Padres after spring practice despite never playing through Double-A. But he struggled in his first stint in the majors, hitting just .182/.270/.273 in 20 games with two doubles and a home run before being sent off on May 10.
“It put things in perspective,” Abrams said. “These are the big leagues, lots of good pitching, they do well and I kind of got out of there. … It was a little bit edgy, a little bit of everything. It was a learning experience.”
The demotion to Triple-A clearly had the desired effect on Abrams, who found his form and cut .314/.364/.507 with seven homers and 28 RBIs during his time with the Chihuahuas.
“If you play every day, you kind of get into a rhythm, you can see what’s working and what’s not working,” Abrams said.
To make room for Abrams in the major league roster, the Padres selected right-hander Reiss Knehr to Triple-A El Paso.
Machado remains on the list for now as the Padres hope he will be available before the end of the minimum 10-day period he would have to spend on the injured list. They’re ready to play with an understaffed roster if there’s a chance they get Machado back, say in a week.
If the Padres ultimately decide Machado needs an IL stay, they could backdate it to Monday, assuming they make the move ahead of Thursday’s game against the Phillies.