Ramón

Laureano

Machado was removed from Monday’s game with a calf injury and sat out on Tuesday, but he’ll be right back out there on Wednesday. Miguel Andujar will play third again, while Nick Castellanos will start in left field and bat eighth, with Ramon Laureano getting a day off.

Laureano has a .290/.355/.551 slash line and Stammen praised the quality of his at-bats regardless of his spot in the order. With Laureano now locked into a job hitting in front of guys like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, his fantasy value is clearly on the rise.

Manager Craig Stammen said after the game that Laureano is going to stick in the leadoff spot for now, boosting his fantasy value. He’s been the Padres’ best hitting with a .290/.355/.551 line, four homers and three steals in 76 plate appearances.

Laureano blistered a two-run shot off Valente Bellozo for his fourth homer of the young season. He also scored a pair of runs, and the 31-year-old has looked very comfortable hitting at the top of the San Diego lineup. Fantasy managers may want to jump on the Laureano train now, there’s enough upside/previous production to believe he can be an effective option throughout 2026.

Laureano also drew two walks, and he also doubled. It’s the third homer of the season for the veteran outfielder, and he’s now the proud owner of an .833 OPS over the first 15 games of 2026. He continues to hit leadoff for a solid — if unspectacular — Padres’ lineup, and as long as he continues to show some pop and patience, he has a chance to help in a few categories this summer.

The Padres are going to stick with Laureano atop their lineup, and Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting second, despite going 0-for-5 out of the top spot during Sunday’s series finale against the Red Sox. It’s a definite boost to his fantasy stock if he’s able to cement himself as San Diego’s primary table-setter moving forward.

Laureano gets an opportunity to bat towards the top of the order with Red Sox young southpaw Connelly Early taking the ball at Fenway Park. Xander Bogaerts, who has typically batted second, has been dropped to fifth against his former club. The 31-year-old is off to an encouraging start, hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers, four RBI and one steal through six games. A quick glance under the hood reveals a robust 49.1 percent hard-hit rate and 13.8 percent barrel percentage.

Few hitters have come out of the gate hotter than Laureano. He’s 7-for-18 in the early going and this home run was already his second. It was also the fatal blow in this game, stretching the Padres’ lead from two to four in the eighth inning before they wound up tacking on two more. This is an incredibly encouraging start after his huge bounceback last season.

Laureano takes a seat after making four consecutive starts in left field to open the season. The 31-year-old is off to a really strong start at the dish, hitting .357 (5-for-14) with one homer and one steal in four contests. It’ll be Nick Castellanos heading out to cover left field and face Giants ace Logan Webb.

Laureano tagged Tigers’ right-hander Drew Anderson for a 423-foot (106.0 mph EV) solo shot in the seventh inning of this one, pulling the Padres to within six runs at 8-2. He also struck out and filed out to left against Tarik Skubal. It appears as though the 31-year-old outfielder has picked right up where his tremendous 2025 season finished.