It’s time to shut down Manny Machado

Manny Machado: I give you credit for fighting through the season with injuries. You’ve played essentially every day while on the active roster despite dealing with an elbow injury. Right now though your team is ten games under .500 with 18 games to play.

You’ve tried your hardest to be on the field even when you probably shouldn’t be. The writing has been on the wall for weeks. It’s over. Look towards next year and get yourself healthy. Shut it down.

The only thing that could happen if Machado continues to play is something negative. Him DHing every day isn’t going to save the season and make the Padres go win 18 in a row starting tomorrow in Los Angeles. They haven’t even been able to win four in a row all season.

The 31-year-old has had a down season (.251 AVG, .763 OPS, 2.5 WAR) after signing his huge $350 million extension in spring training. The Padres can’t afford to have him underperform again in 2024 when the pressure is going to be just as intense as it was this year because of how bad 2023 was.

If San Diego truly believed they were still in it, Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. would’ve been in the lineup on Sunday because they had been in the lineup essentially every day before this. Tatis had literally appeared in every single game he was eligible to prior to the series finale in Houston.

So for Bob Melvin to sit them should tell you that even he believes the season is over. In fact, Machado and Tatis know it’s over too or else they would’ve found a way to be in that lineup today. But they didn’t.

What’s the point in continuing to play injured in a lost season?