Padres' Machado avoids injured list, for now
San Diego Padres All-Star slugger Manny Machado wasn't in the lineup a day after spraining his left ankle and acting manager Ryan Flaherty was optimistic the third baseman won't need to go on the injured list.
“He's got some purple and blue in there but overall he's moving around pretty good and feels good,” Flaherty said Monday. “He's not in the starting lineup tonight. Outside of that, I think there's pretty good optimism.”
Machado, who's having an MVP-caliber season, sprained his left ankle in the first inning Sunday at Colorado while trying to beat out a grounder. He stretched his left leg toward the base as the throw arrived from pitcher Antonio Senzatela and his cleats slipped across the top of the bag.
Machado fell to the ground and his left leg buckled beneath him. He was in pain, grimacing and clasping his hands around his lower left leg.
He was unable to put weight on the ankle and limped off the field with assistance from two team trainers.
“Manny's a quick healer,” said Flaherty, who is filling in while Bob Melvin remains in COVID-19 protocols. “He takes care of his body and he's got the ability to recover really quickly.”
Machado is batting .328 with 12 homers and 46 RBIs. He has largely carried the Padres' offense in the absence of All-Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who remains out while rehabbing his surgically repaired left wrist. MARINERS CUT ROMO >> Veteran reliever Sergio Romo was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners.
Romo, a 39-year-old righthander, had an 8.16 ERA in 17 appearances this season and spent a month on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
An All-Star in 2013 and a three-time World Series champion with the Giants, Romo has 137 saves in 15 major league seasons, going 42-35 with a 3.20 ERA in 810 relief appearances and five starts. He has pitched for the Giants (2008-16), Los Angeles Dodgers (2017), Tampa Bay (201718), Miami (2018), Minnesota (2019-20) and the A's (2021). DODGERS ACQUIRE THOMPSON >> The Dodgers acquired outfielder Trayce Thompson from the Detroit Tigers to help bolster their outfield in the wake of Mookie Betts' injury.
The Tigers received cash considerations in the trade.
The Dodgers will mark the 31-year-old Thompson's third organization since the start of the season. He started the campaign with San Diego, going 1-for-14 before he was granted free agency on May 14 and signed a minor league deal with the Tigers on May 19.
Thompson, the younger brother of the Warriors' Klay and son of former NBA player Mychal, is batting .305 with 17 home runs and 36 RBIs at Triple-A this season.
He's a career .205 hitter with 26 homers in 223 big league games with five teams, including the Dodgers (201617), for whom he hit 14 home runs in 107 games. He played three games for the A's in 2018.
Betts went on the injured list Sunday with a cracked right rib.