Jake

Cronenworth

Arraez is on the bench with Ryan O’Hearn taking over at the cold corner and Jake Cronenworth at the keystone following a scary incident prior to the ninth inning of Saturday’s game when he was struck in the side of the face by an errant warmup throw. It’s a significant concern because he missed time back in April with a concussion. The 28-year-old contact-oriented infielder will undergo further evaluation this weekend, but there’s optimism he’ll be fine since he didn’t lose consciousness during the incident. There should be some clarity on his status prior to Tuesday’s pivotal game against the Mets.

It’s Cronenworth’s first start at shortstop since the late stages of the 2022 season. The 31-year-old has mostly played second base this year with 104 appearances at the keystone and just 15 appearances combined elsewhere.

Cronenworth is back in the lineup after sitting out only one game after being hit by a pitch in the right elbow area during Monday’s series opener. His return enables the Padres to give Xander Bogaerts a breather after he took a beating during Tuesday’s contest.

After the Padres squandered scoring chances in each of the first three innings against Andre Pallante, Cronenworth finally got them on the board in the fourth inning with a 398-foot two-run blast. That would be his only hit on the afternoon but played a critical role in the victory. On the season, the 31-year-old infielder is now hitting .235/.344/.388 with just nine homers and 34 RBI.

It’ll be the first time in June that Cronenworth is not in the starting lineup. He’ll sit against southpaw MacKenzie Gore, and Jose Iglesias will be the starting second baseman.

Cronenworth tagged Diamondbacks’ right-hander Merrill Kelly for his 395-foot (102.1 mph EV) two-run shot after a 10-pitch battle in the fourth inning, extending the Padres’ early lead to 3-0. That would be his only hit on the afternoon. The versatile 31-year-old is now slashing .241/.367/.400 with five homers, 17 RBI and one stolen base through his first 178 plate appearances on the season.

The versatile 31-year-old will take a seat with tough left-hander Chris Sale toeing the slab for the Braves on Friday night. Jose Iglesias will start in his place at second base and will bat seventh for the Padres on Friday evening in Atlanta.

That RBI came in the ninth inning and was the only run for the Padres on the evening. Cronenworth is now hitting an outstanding .293/.440/.552, and while that’s over a sample of just 58 at-bats, there’s no denying that the infielder is swinging a hot stick to open 2025.

Cronenworth missed a month while dealing with a right rib fracture. The 31-year-old should return to playing everyday for the Padres with the occasional day off against southpaws.

Cronenworth hit the ground running in his first rehab game on Tuesday, blasting a home run and walking three times. He’ll play another rehab game on Wednesday and could rejoin the Padres in Colorado on Friday. If he does return this weekend, that could mean that Tyler Wade moves back to his role as a utility player off the bench.