Manny Machado is playing through a finger issue, but the Padres don’t sound especially alarmed - at least not yet.
The San Diego star was clearly bothered during Monday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially after his final two swings. Machado pulled his hand in after the bat came through, a visible sign that something on his index finger was bothering him. Even so, he stayed in the game and kept giving the Padres a chance.
After the game, manager Craig Stammen explained what the team is seeing.
“He’s got a bruise right on the inside of his index finger, and it just irritates it every time he hits it off the end of the bat,” Stammen said. “ … They’ll take care of it. He’s got a little sleeve that he’s going to wear now, and hopefully it’s not something that lingers for very long.”
Machado didn’t offer much detail on when the problem started, but he also didn’t sound panicked. In his view, this is the kind of thing that comes with the territory.
“A while,” he said of how long it's been affecting him. “It happens every year.
It’s a constant thing. I’ve got [messed] up fingers.”
For now, the plan is simple: Machado will wear a protective sleeve and keep going. That matters for a Padres club that needs him on the field, even while his numbers at the plate have been uneven. He’s batting .215 with 24 home runs and 72 RBIs, along with a .711 OPS.
The bigger point for San Diego is availability, and Machado has been there every night. He has played in 1,734 games since the beginning of the 2015 season, which is 32 more than any other major leaguer.
That’s why the finger issue is being watched closely, even if the early signs suggest he’ll keep playing unless it gets worse. Machado has handled worse, and the expectation is that he won’t be missing games unless the injury escalates.
On Monday, he finished 0-for-3 with two walks. The Padres, as a group, didn’t do much better, going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the loss.
The defeat opened the series on a sour note, but San Diego has still been rolling since the All-Star Break and has played its way into the playoff picture. The Padres currently hold the final wild-card spot in the National League and are two games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That makes Machado’s health a key storyline the rest of the way. San Diego needs him as close to right as possible if it’s going to keep its postseason push on track.
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