An Injury Update on San Diego Padres Star Manny Machado

The Padres star is eligible to come off the injured list on Friday and appears to be making progress in his recovery.

San Diego Padres star Manny Machado has been on the injured list all week after breaking a bone in his hand, but he appears to be making progress in his return and may be ready to come off the injured list on Friday.

The following comes from the Yahoo! Sports fantasy baseball portal:

Manny Machado (hand) was able to take swings off of a tee on Tuesday.

Advice: It doesn't sound like Machado is going to require a minor league rehab assignment before returning to the Padres' active roster. He's eligible to return as soon as Friday, but it's still uncertain if he'll be ready in time or not. Pay close attention to his status and his activity over the next few days.

The Padres certainly need Machado if they want to want to make up ground in the National League playoff picture. They are currently 22-26 and in fourth place in the National League West. They trail the first-place Dodgers by eight games. 

Even though Machado has started slowly himself, his presence is big for the Friars.

He's hitting just .231 with five homers and 19 RBI. He's added two steals as well.

For his career, Machado is a .280 hitter with 288 homers and 872 RBI. He's spent time with the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers, in addition to the Padres.

He is a six-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner.

The Padres will take on the Nationals on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

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