Samad

Taylor

Samad Taylor takes over at DH and will hit eighth in his place. Sheets has gone 1-for-2 with a two-run homer in a pair of games this postseason. The Padres are attempting to keep their season alive during Game 3 at Petco Park on Tuesday evening.

The biggest surprise here is sparkplug Samad Taylor getting a chance to face Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd in the second spot in the order with Dustin Harris presumably set to come off the bench in his place once Chicago goes to the bullpen. Here’s the full lineup as San Diego kicks off the postseason at Petco Park with Michael King on the hill: Tatis Jr. (RF), Taylor (LF), Manny Machado (3B), Ty France (1B), Jackson Merrill (CF), Austin Hays (DH), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Jake Cronenworth (2B) and Luis Campusano (C).

Taylor had been without an RBI in 11 games since coming off the IL on Aug. 30. Still, he has been running. He’s 4-for-5 in his 12 games since returning and 10-for-12 overall in 38 games on the season.

The Padres get Taylor back as they lose Gavin Sheets (foot) to the injured list on Sunday. He had been shelved since early July due to a right oblique strain. The 28-year-old has done a terrific job for the Padres this season, slashing .330/.410/.398 with one homer, 11 RBI and six stolen bases in 102 plate appearances over 26 games.

So much for Taylor avoiding a trip to the injured list. The Padres are going to give him some extra time off heading into next week’s All-Star break. The 27-year-old wraps up a strong first half with a .330/.410/.398 slash line with one homer, 11 RBI and six steals in 102 plate appearances over 26 games. He’s certainly looked like a viable reserve outfielder.

Taylor told reporters that he tweaked something in his oblique during Tuesday’s contest against Arizona. The 27-year-old is likely to sit out the final two games of San Diego’s current series against the Diamondbacks, but it doesn’t appear that he’s headed to the injured list.

Merrill has been scuffling recently, hitting just .228 (28-for-123) with four homers and seven steals over his last 30 games. He’s just 5-for-28 over his last seven games. His cold spell corresponds with a hot streak from Samad Taylor, who has been hitting second for the last couple weeks now. The Padres have moved him out of the heart of the order temporarily with lefty Shota Imanaga taking the ball for Chicago at Wrigley Field on Monday night.

Taylor finishes hitless in the series against the Dodgers, though he did have four walks while going 0-for-10. He’s still hitting .324/.410/.384 overall, and while it shouldn’t last, his stolen base ability makes him a decent fantasy option while he’s playing regularly.

Sung-Mun Song gets the nod at the keystone with red-hot Samad Taylor in right field for Sunday afternoon’s showdown at Globe Life Field. It’s the first day off for Tatis since May 3. The 27-year-old fantasy standout has experienced a tumultuous season at the dish, putting it mildly, but he’s shown some real signs of life recently, hitting .329 (24-for-73) with one homer and four steals in 17 games since the start of June.

Taylor has gone 9-for-31 (.355) with one home run, six runs scored, eight RBI, and three steals in nine games since being recalled from Triple-A, so the Padres will reward him by moving him up in the order. Those stats are great, and Taylor can certainly fly, but he also had just a 27 percent hard-hit rate in Triple-A and a league-average 85 percent zone contact rate. He’s hitting the ball on the ground 60 percent of the time and has the speed to beat out infield singles, the batting average and stolen bases could be there, but he’s a career .250/.313/.327 hitter in 118 MLB plate appearances, so don’t expect him to keep producing at this level.