Jackson Merrill’s 2-word message after Padres return draws comical response from girlfriend Sammie

Jackson Merrill returned to the San Diego Padres lineup this week for the three-game series against the New York Yankees.

The All-Star outfielder, who signed an eight-year extension at the start of the season, missed four weeks of action due to a hamstring strain. Merrill joined the team for Tuesday's game against the Yankees after the Padres reinstated him from the 10-day injured list.

Merrill went 2-for-4 in a 12-3 loss. The star outfielder also featured in the series finale on Wednesday, going 2-for-4 again with a solo home run and an RBI single. But his performance came in a 4-3 loss as the Padres lost the series.

Following his return, Merrill shared an Instagram post with a two-word caption.

"Hey guys," Merrill wrote.

Merrill's longtime girlfriend Sammie Quinn reacted to the post with a hilarious comment.

"Hey stinker," Sammie commented.

Jackson Merrill looked solid at the plate despite being on the losing side in both games. But he is not fazed by the results and is looking forward to the series against the Colorado Rockies.

“Close games all around,” Merrill said. “Can’t really look back at it. We’ve got another series ahead of us [at Colorado]. We’ll put this one behind us and keep going.”

Jackson Merrill avoids injury in extra innings loss

Jackson Merrill's return to the lineup is a big boost for the Padres, who have had injuries to several stars since the start of the season.

Padres manager Schildt revealed the outfielder's mindset after his return.

“He stayed mentally into the competition away from the competition,” Shildt said. “He locked in, did his scouting reports almost every day to keep your mind ready. He took his physical rehab seriously and was able to come back and perform like he has.”

Merrill faced a scare when he was hit on the forearm by Yankees closer Devin Williams's pitch. However, he shrugged off injury concerns after the game and is gearing up for the series against the Rockies.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash