On Friday night, the San Diego Padres will begin a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park.
Most recently, the Padres finished off a sweep over the National League East leading Atlanta Braves.
The three-game set will be the second series between the Dodgers and Padres this season. The Dodgers won the first series in San Diego 2-1.
San Diego Padres Announce Jake Cronenworth News
Jake Cronenworth is scheduled to begin his MLB rehab assignment tonight against Sugar Land.
Second baseman Jake Cronenworth did not appear in the team’s previous series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-time All-Star has been absent from the team’s lineup since May 4th.
He was then placed on the injured list as he was experiencing concussion symptoms. Unfortunately for the Padres and Cronenworth, the infielder played with the symptoms for a couple of weeks, as he originally cleared concussion protocol on April 18.
However, ahead of the team’s series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who hold a nine game lead over the Padres, the team announced some good news regarding Cronenworth.
The team’s triple-A affiliate El Paso Chihuahuas posted on X: “Jake Cronenworth is scheduled to begin his MLB rehab assignment tonight against Sugar Land.”
This update comes three days after the team announced that Cronenworth had begun facing live pitching.
Whether his rehab stint is short and Cronenworth is available for the series against the Dodgers remains to be seen.
The two-time All-Star is batting .144 with 14 hits, two doubles, one home run, 13 runs, 14 RBIs and one stolen base in 32 games this season.
Regarding the news, Padres on SI’s Matt Levine wrote: “This is excellent news for the infielder, as his return could be a big boost to the Padres lineup. Cronenworth has been an All-Star in the past, and while he struggled earlier this season, the concussion likely played a part.”
Padres vs Dodgers
Cronenworth has primarily played second base this season; however, he also appeared as the team’s shortstop, allowing veteran Xander Bogaerts to get the occasional day off.
Meanwhile, two-time Platinum Glove winner Fernando Tatis Jr. has been the team’s primary second baseman in Cronenworth’s absence. Sung-mun Song has also appeared at second base during Cronenworth’s absence.
Looking ahead to the upcoming series against the Dodgers, the team will likely have their top three starters available for the series. Former Dodgers All-Star Walker Buehler will take the mound for the Padres in the series opener. After some early struggles, Buehler has arguably been San Diego’s most consistent pitcher over the past month. Regarding Buehler, Padres on SI’s Matt Levine wrote: “Overall, Buehler has made 15 starts for the Padres, posting an ERA of 3.96 over 72.2 innings of work. In June, he’s made four starts, sporting a 1.71 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 21 innings.
After a shaky 2025 season, Buehler bet on himself by turning down major league offers to join the Padres. The veteran believed that San Diego was the place to help him turn his career back around, and so far, it’s worked.”
Michael King and Randy Vásquez are also scheduled to pitch in the series against the Dodgers.
San Diego Padres Announce Return of Two-Time All-Star Before Dodgers Series