Merrill is being held out of Monday's starting lineup against the Athletics due to a hamstring injury, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Acee notes that Merrill has been playing through a minor hamstring issue for a few games, and the team has ultimately elected to give him a day or two off as a precaution. Brandon Lockridge is getting the start in center field Monday and would likely be in line for another chance Tuesday if Merrill misses more time.

Merrill is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest against the Athletics.

EDGE Analysis

It's the first day off this season for Merrill, who homered Sunday for his third long ball in 10 games. Brandon Lockridge is starting in center field and batting eighth in Monday's series opener.

Merrill went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill kickstarted the Padres rally down 7-3 with a two-run blast to center field in the fourth. He leads the team early on with three homers, all of which have come in his last five games. Merrill has posted a hit in all but one game so far this season and is pacing the ballclub with a .378 batting average and 10 RBI.

Merrill and the Padres agreed Wednesday on a nine-year, $135 million contract extension, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Per Murray, the nine-year deal can max out at $165 million if Merrill reaches 500 plate appearances in every season of the contract and also includes a $30 million club option for the 2035 season that can be converted to a player option. The 21-year-old Merrill was rewarded with the lavish deal after earning an All-Star nod and Silver Slugger Award while finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year Award balloting in 2024, when he slashed .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs, 16 stolen bases, 90 RBI and 77 runs in 593 plate appearances. He's gotten off to a strong start through the Padres' first six games of 2025, going 8-for-20 with a home run and a 2:3 BB:K.

Merrill went 1-for-3 with four RBI in Thursday's 7-4 win against Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill managed to knock in more than half of San Diego's seven runs despite reaching base just once on a single. He plated the Padres' first two runs with the first-inning hit, brought another runner home with a third-inning groundout and finished his day with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The performance was a strong start to Merrill's sophomore campaign as he looks to build upon last season's second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Merrill went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's Cactus League victory versus the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill opened the scoring in the contest with a 411-foot, two-run shot to right field in the first inning. The 21-year-old has slashed .244/.244/.556 this spring with four home runs and 10 RBI over 45 plate appearances. He hasn't yet taken a walk, but Merrill posted just a 5.0 percent walk rate as a rookie last year and still finished with an .826 OPS and a second-place finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting, so his aggressiveness at the plate shouldn't be a cause for concern.

Merrill went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run Sunday in a Cactus League loss to Kansas City.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill's homer was a massive 443-foot shot to center field. The 21-year-old is preparing for his second big-league campaign after posting an .826 OPS over 156 regular-season games last year en route to finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Merrill has looked good so far this spring, going 4-for-11 with four RBI through five contests.

Merrill is absent from Saturday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill will get some additional rest Saturday with the Padres locked into a playoff spot, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Brandon Lockridge will start in center field and bat eighth.

Merrill went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 3-1 win over the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill has broken out of a recent slump by logging multiple hits in three of his last four games. The rookie is batting .295 (26-for-88) with seven homers over his last 24 contests. He's up to a .290/.322/.504 slash line with 24 homers, 86 RBI, 74 runs scored and 16 stolen bases through 146 contests overall. His well-rounded production and relatively good health have him firmly in the NL Rookie of the Year conversation.

Merrill went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored in Friday's 5-0 win over the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Merrill entered Friday in a 1-for-18 slump over his last six games, but he was able to break out of it as one of four Padres to log multiple hits. The 21-year-old has recorded 13 games with three or more hits this year, and he has multiple extra-base hits in six of them. He's up to a .289/.321/.498 slash line with 23 home runs, 83 RBI, 73 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 25 doubles and six triples over 143 contests as a rookie who skipped Triple-A.