San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado sat out Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park after suffering a left calf cramp that ended his Monday performance early. Manager Craig Stammen described Machado as day to day and available off the bench if needed. Jake Cronenworth made his first career start at third base in Machado's place.
Machado had been heating up at the plate recently. He hit two home runs in Sunday's Mexico City Series finale and went 3-for-4 with two doubles on Monday before the cramp forced him from the game early at Petco Park in San Diego. Stammen indicated no major concern, saying, “Manny’s doing pretty good today. [He’s] day to day with it. We feel good about where he’s at. He’s not worried about it at all. I don’t think we’re worried about it either.” An injured list stint appears unlikely, especially given Machado's past aversion to it. Stammen added there was already a plan for Machado to get a day off during the homestand. With Machado sidelined from the starting lineup, Cronenworth shifted to third base. He has experience at second, shortstop, and first but just one inning at third in his career back in 2020. Stammen had discussed the possibility with Cronenworth last week as a contingency. The Padres preferred Cronenworth's bat against Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera over backups Miguel Andujar or Ty France, who is favored at first base. Fernando Tatis Jr. started at second base for the fifth time this season. Sung-Mun Song, recently optioned to Triple-A, remains an infield depth option if Machado misses more time.
