Just as the San Diego Padres were starting to get some momentum, they’ve been forced to press pause on one of their key veteran bats. Miguel Andujar was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left hamstring strain, a move that officially sidelines him until at least June 21.
The team made the transaction retroactive to June 11, meaning Andujar had been battling the issue since last Sunday. The discomfort originally flared up during a loss to the New York Mets, but the Padres initially kept him available in a limited bench role. Over the course of the past week, that amounted to just two plate appearances before the club decided to pull the trigger.
This injury comes at a particularly rough time for Andujar, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with San Diego last winter after a monster 2025 season. Across 470 plate appearances with the Athletics and Reds, he slashed .318/.352/.470 with a 125 wRC+, a performance that convinced the Padres he could be a difference-maker against left-handed pitching. Last year, he absolutely crushed southpaws, posting a .389/.409/.578 line and a 171 wRC+.
A Tale of Two Seasons
Andujar actually started 2026 on fire, posting a .925 OPS in April and looking like one of the best value signings of the offseason. But the wheels have come off since. Through 198 plate appearances, he’s hitting just .254/.288/.418 with five home runs and a 96 wRC+ — slightly below league average.
Perhaps the most puzzling part? His splits have completely flipped. This season, Andujar has been actually better against right-handed pitchers (104 wRC+) than lefties (76 wRC+). That’s the exact opposite of what made him a coveted free agent. The team has not confirmed whether the hamstring issue played a role in his recent slump, but it’s a reasonable question.
Who Gets the Call
To fill Andujar’s spot on the active roster, the Padres promoted outfielder Nick Solak from Triple-A El Paso. The 31-year-old veteran has appeared in parts of seven major league seasons, putting up a career .250/.325/.369 line with 21 homers and a 91 wRC+ across 985 plate appearances. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but Solak is absolutely mashing in the minors right now.
In 237 plate appearances with El Paso, Solak slashed .340/.419/.522 with nine home runs, five stolen bases, and an offensive output that ranked 31 percent above league average. He’s earned this shot.
The Padres will need Solak to provide steady outfield depth and perhaps some platoon value while Andujar gets healthy. For a team that’s been fighting to stay in the race, every at-bat matters — and right now, San Diego is hoping its latest call-up can deliver.
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