Dominoes are starting to hit the San Diego Padres with the end of Fernando Tatis Jr.’s suspension. Juan Soto, who will likely be his team’s second hitter.
As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic notes, Soto really is at his best in the middle of the lineup (3rd to 5th batter). However, his ability to get to the bases in an elite manner will force manager Bob Melvin to place the 24-year-old behind the fast Tatis. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts will camp in the middle of the line-up, followed by Jake Cronenworth.
Although he feels he can produce runs in second place, the former Washington Nationals thinks his main role will be to advance his teammate on base, a responsibility the main interested party will accept for the good of the team. ‘crew.
Before coming to California, Soto was also used as a second hitter with the Nationals in 2022. The big catch is that Washington’s offensive lineup consisted of Soto…and little else that was threatening. An unfavorable context to collect personal statistics for a player of great talent.
The good news for the Padres is that Soto continues to rack up the walks and generate excellent off-ball speed. The worst: these are about the only things the Dominican does at bat in his new uniform.
With Soto and Jake Cronenworth, two left-handed hitters, now separated in the lineup, Bob Melvin hopes to provide a better matchup for his hitting role. Recall that Tatis Jr. also has six homers in his last three games at the AAA level.
A return that will do good, since San Diego (and its huge payroll) is in 3rd place in the West division of the National, with an 8-10 record. As for Tatis Jr., he will end an 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s anti-doping policy. A quicker comeback, given the organization’s long playoff run last fall.
The attack is also one of the big reasons for this average start to the season. While the pitchers gave only three meager points in the last two games against Milwaukee and Atlanta, the offense ensured the reply by registering… two shutouts.
Manny Machado has also promised that the expected results will come and that he invites people not to delay too long before boarding the Padres car.
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