Ramon

Laureano

Rosenthal, Lin and Sammon add the Padres have expressed interest in the Mets’ trio of elite pitching prospects — Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat — while noting that franchise cornerstones Francisco Lindor and Fernando Tatis Jr. have not surfaced in trade discussions. Any deal involving those prospects would qualify as a blockbuster, though McLean’s inclusion would be especially surprising given that he’s been viewed as virtually untouchable since making his major-league debut late last season. New York remains in the market for an established front-line starter and an additional high-leverage reliever to pair with newly acquired stopper Devin Williams following Edwin Díaz’s departure to Los Angeles. While The Athletic notes that nothing appears imminent, this is a situation worth monitoring closely from a fantasy standpoint.

Laureano hit .281/.342/.512 with 24 homers for the Orioles and Padres before a fractured finger brought his 2025 season to an unfortunate end just before the playoffs. With Laureano in left, Jackson Merrill in center and Fernando Tatis Jr. in right, San Diego’s 2026 outfield appears settled.

The Padres announced earlier in the week that Laureano had been diagnosed with the fractured finger and that he would miss the first round of the postseason, but they didn’t need the roster spot until Saturday. Will Wagner was recalled from the Arizona Complex League to take his place on the active roster.

It’s a significant loss for San Diego as Laureano, who suffered the injury during the early stages of Wednesday’s series finale against the Brewers, had emerged as their primary left fielder and a key middle-of-the-order mainstay since coming over from the Orioles at the trade deadline. There should be a clearer return timeline for the 31-year-old outfielder at some point in the coming days, but it sounds like he’s going to be sidelined at the outset of the postseason, which gets underway early next week.

It’s unclear what prompted Laureano’s exit from the early stages of Wednesday afternoon’s contest, but he was replaced by Bryce Johnson in center field after a second-inning at-bat. It’s possible his exit was for precautionary reasons since the Padres have little to play for with a postseason ticket already punched.

Laureano reached on a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Ryan O’Hearn. He then smacked a one-out double in the sixth inning, swiped third base and scored on a ground out off the bat of Gavin Sheets to pull the Padres to within one run. The 31-year-old outfielder is having a terrific season offensively, slashing .285/.346/.523 while matching his career-high with 24 homers to go with 76 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Laureano appeared to hurt his back crashing into the wall to steal a homer away from his former outfield mate Colton Cowser, but he was able to stay in to finish the game. The Padres have Thursday off, so he’ll have some extra time to recover.

Laureano gave the Padres a big lead early with a grand slam off Luis Castillo. He later doubled and scored on a base hit in the sixth. It was the second straight day with a home run for the 31-year-old outfielder. Laureano is up to 21 on the season while slashing an excellent .300/.361/.553 across 385 plate appearances.

Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters earlier this week that Merrill is dealing with a painful bone bruise in his left ankle. The 22-year-old outfielder is sitting out his fourth consecutive game on Thursday afternoon, but has managed to avoid a trip to the injured list for now. It’ll be Ramón Laureano taking over in center field once again in his absence. He’s day-to-day heading into Friday’s series opener against the Brewers.

There’s been no indication that Merrill will require a trip to the injured list, but he’s sitting out his third straight contest due to a lingering left ankle issues. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Thursday’s series finale. It’ll be Ramón Laureano taking over in center field once again on Wednesday night in his absence.