The San Diego Padres are 4-6 in their last 10 games and fell 4-3 to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, setting up an afternoon rubber match on Wednesday.
Ahead of the matchup, Padres manager Craig Stammen made some notable changes to his lineup, including one involving veteran infielder Manny Machado, who recorded an RBI, a walk and a strikeout while starting at third base Tuesday.
Padres Announce Machado Move
For the finale, Stammen has decided to give Machado the day off. He will not be in the starting lineup after appearing in 136 games this season.
Jake Cronenworth will instead start at third base, while the rest of the infield will feature Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, Fernando Tatis Jr. at second base and Ty France at first.
Via Underdog MLB: “Padres 9/2 F. Tatis Jr. 2B S. Taylor LF J. Merrill CF T. France 1B X. Bogaerts SS E. Salas C A. Hays RF L. Campusano DH J. Cronenworth 3B C. Mize SP.”
Padres 9/2
F. Tatis Jr. 2B
S. Taylor LF
J. Merrill CF
T. France 1B
X. Bogaerts SS
E. Salas C
A. Hays RF
L. Campusano DH
J. Cronenworth 3BC. Mize SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 2, 2026
Machado’s 2026 Campaign
In his 15th MLB season and eighth as a member of the Padres, Machado continues to be extremely productive.
Across 506 at-bats, he’s batting .216 with 69 runs, 111 hits, 24 home runs and 75 RBIs while slugging .403 with a .710 OPS.
Looking at the Padres
San Diego is currently in the middle of what looks like it will be a down-to-the-wire National League Wild Card race.
They hold a 73-66 overall record, which has them just a half-game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final Wild Card spot.
San Diego Padres Make Sudden Manny Machado Move During Reds Series