Ty

France

France is back at first base and hitting fifth after being hit by a pitch on the wrist over the weekend. The 31-year-old was able to come off the bench during Sunday’s series finale against the Dodgers after X-rays came back negative for any fractures. It doesn’t appear to be a serious concern moving forward.

France was OK afterwards and went on to finish the game at first base. He’ll probably be in the San Diego lineup Monday against a lefty.

France left Friday’s game with a left wrist contusion that he sustained when he was hit by a pitch. He’s still considered day-to-day and it isn’t anything that’s expected to require a trip to the injured list. Gavin Sheets will once again cover first base in his absence while Miguel Andujar serves as the Padres’ designated hitter and will bat seventh against Dodgers’ right-hander Emmet Sheehan.

X-rays were negative after France was hit by a pitch during Friday’s game, and he’s day-to-day. The Padres have Gavin Sheets at first base and Miguel Andujar DHing tonight.

Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters late Friday that France will undergo precautionary imaging after being hit on the hand and jamming it a bit later in the contest. He slugged a three-run homer off Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki in San Diego’s lopsided series-opening win. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get some time off this weekend.

France’s homer was a 372-footer to left in the second inning, which gave the Padres their only runs through seven. With Nick Castellanos gone and Miguel Andujar rightfully taking a backseat of late, France has started nine of the Padres’ last 10 games. He’s hitting .265/.307/.503 for an .810 OPS that is easily the high mark among the Padres’ semi-regulars. Next on the list is Gavin Sheets way down at .751.

France is making a case for more regular playing time while hitting .252/.,297/.485 in 176 plate appearances. His .792 OPS is the highest among all 11 Padres with at least 100 plate appearances, and while he mostly started against lefties initially, he’s been just fine versus righties when given the chance.

France broke things open for the Padres in the top of the first inning when he took Jacob deGrom 384 feet to deep right center for his first career grand slam, giving the Padres a 5-0 lead. It was just the seventh homer of the season for France, who was just getting started. In the fourth inning, the righty would blast a solo homer off deGrom to tie the game at 6-6. France is slashing just .190/.277/.381 on the month, taking a drastic step back from the .286/.318/.533 line he entered the June with. He’s seeing plenty of playing time could still be worth a look in deeper leagues if he can get things going again.

With Nick Castellanos no longer in San Diego, the Padres have been using Gavin Sheets in left field more often, which has freed up first base for Ty France. Since May 1st, France is hitting .292/.313/.508 in 68 plate appearances with three home runs, 10 RBI, and a 48 percent hard-hit rate. That has also come with a 22/2 K/BB ratio, so it’s not all great news, but he is worth a look in deeper formats if he’s going to be a regular in the lineup.

France hit a line-drive homer to right field off Justin Sterner in the bottom of the seventh. He’s performing well in limited playing time, though his walk rate has sharply fallen. France will continue spelling Gavin Sheets at first base when San Diego is facing a lefty or otherwise shaking up their infield.