The San Diego Padres are getting positive feedback from Wil Myers on his injured left wrist. He played Sunday in Las Vegas for AAA El Paso. Myers ended up going 2-5 with two strike outs and one run scored. Most importantly he reported no issues with his wrist. The next day Myers went 1-5 with a home run and still no issue.
A collective sigh falls over the city of San Diego as it appears the Padres have avoided a serious setback with the slugging outfielders wrist. Myers was leading all of major league baseball in runs scored before his injury on Mothers Day. He was proving to be a real productive player, leading off for the Padres.
With his return, the Padres defense takes a sort of hit. Will Venable had been playing excellent defense in Myers absence, but Myers will surely take over as the starting center fielder. Myers played briefly at first base before injuring himself. He looked very comfortable there, but the return of Yonder Alonso makes that an unlikely spot for Myers to play on a daily basis. Alonso is leading the team in hitting, and his left-handed bat has really calmed the middle of the Padres order. Yonder will play against all right-handed starting pitchers. Myers may see some action against tough left-handed starting pitchers.
Questions still remain about the Padres playing time. The team is stacked in the infield and outfield. Melvin Upton Jr. just returned from the disabled list and he too is looking for playing time. Melvin Upton Jr. and Will Venable will be the teams fourth and fifth outfielders for the time being. Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers are just too productive with the bat to be taken out of the line-up.
The infield has its own issues. Will Middlebrooks seems to be back in good graces with manager Bud Black and he is receiving most of the starts at the hot corner. Jedd Gyorko has been MIA and Yangervis Solarte has too seen a dramatic decrease in his playing time.
Corey Spangenberg has been given every opportunity to win an everyday job. The jury is still out on the former #1 pick for the Padres. Spangenberg can steal a game with his game changing speed one night, only to fail miserably at bat the next night. So is the life of a young ballplayer. The young infielder might be sent down this season depending on what the Padres can do on the trade market. Not a big deal, as the young infielder just needs a little more seasoning.
With the return of Wil Myers, the Padres finally get back their whole starting offense. It will be exciting to see Myers back on top of the order, and the team can continue to have some regularity in their line-up. It is not a coincidence that once Yonder returned and the lineup stayed semi-regular, the offense has been more consistent. The Padres have plenty of room to grow and the excitement Padres fans feel is very real. We will all see how good this team can be.