Manny Machado’s 2026 season has been a mixed bag for the Padres, and the biggest issue has been the one thing he usually brings in bunches: consistent contact.
The power is still there. Machado is on pace to top 30 home runs, and his line still shows a productive middle-of-the-order bat with 23 homers and 63 RBIs.
But the batting average has been a problem all year, as he’s sitting at .210 with a .734 OPS. For a player of Machado’s caliber, that’s a jarring drop-off, and it started showing up early when he admitted his swing mechanics changed over the offseason.
That change has drawn criticism from a familiar face. Former Padres star Heath Bell didn’t mince words when asked about Machado’s offseason work.
"He worked with somebody that's never worked before," Bell said in a recent interview. "Really bad decision."
Machado spent the offseason working with independent swing coach Richard Schenck, and Bell believes that decision helped throw off the veteran’s timing. The results have shown up in the numbers: Machado is in the 37th percentile in whiff rate, and he’s been late on both fastballs and breaking balls.
Bell thinks the answer isn’t to bury Machado in the lineup, but to move him just enough to reflect the season he’s having.
"I would put Manny in the fifth spot because he doesn't have the average, but he still hits for power," Bell said.
He added that he wouldn’t go much lower than that.
"The farthest I'd ever put Manny is sixth," Bell said. "He can make a difference in the lineup."
Machado, for his part, has pushed ahead without pointing fingers. Earlier this year, he made it clear he wasn’t using the offseason changes as an explanation for the slump.
“I’m not making excuses about anything,” Machado said earlier this year. “[Working with Schenck] is not a reason. … There were a lot of great things that came out of that, so it’s not an excuse.”
The Padres can only hope this version of Machado is temporary, because the contract attached to him is massive. He’s under team control for seven more seasons beyond 2026, and he’s set to make $39 million per year.
There are signs the bat may finally be waking up. On Sunday, Machado delivered a game-tying two-run home run that helped spark San Diego’s comeback win over the Miami Marlins and complete the sweep.
That victory got the Padres back to .500 at 53-53, with a week left before the deadline.
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