NEW YORK -- All-Star center fielder Jackson Merrill is set to return to the San Diego Padres' active roster Tuesday from a strained right hamstring that has sidelined him since April 6.
Merrill played a pair of injury rehabilitation games for Double-A San Antonio last weekend and was at Yankee Stadium on Monday for the Padres' series opener against New York. San Diego had not yet activated him from the 10-day injured list.
"Scheduled day off today to recover from a couple of games but, yeah, so he's on track for tomorrow," Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "Just a very professional rehab. He dominated every day in what he was able to do."
Merrill was hitting .378 (14 for 37) with three homers and 10 RBIs through eight games before the hamstring strain. After finishing second to Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes in last season's NL Rookie of the Year voting, Merrill agreed on April 2 to a $135 million, nine-year contract through 2034.
Merrill, who turned 22 on April 19, was moved from shortstop to center field in spring training last year when the Padres had only two outfielders on their roster. He made the Opening Day roster for 2024 and went on to hit .292 with 24 homers, 90 RBIs and 16 stolen bases
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
