San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado suffered a worrying injury Sunday after coming up lame crossing first base.
Machado was running to first base in the first inning of Sunday’s game against Colorado. Machado’s foot appeared to slip on first base, causing it to slide off and get jammed in the dirt. Machado collapsed and appeared to be in significant pain as a result.
https://twitter.com/thehogwatch/status/1538604565343268866
Machado was not able to put full weight on the ankle as he was helped off the field.
Manny Machado suffered an ugly-looking left ankle injury trying to beat out a ground ball. He walked off the field with some help and while putting limited weight on the ankle.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) June 19, 2022
The Padres could not afford a long-term injury to Machado. The star third baseman has been an NL MVP candidate so far in 2022, and came into Sunday’s game hitting .329 with 12 home runs. He has been particularly important to the team with Fernando Tatis Jr. on the shelf as he recovers from a wrist injury, and that is only more important with Tatis’ return date unclear.
The Padres entered Sunday in second place in the NL West, a half game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
