Padres Have Tried To Reduce Manny Machado's Responsibilities in 2024: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 6, 2024

Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres need Manny Machado healthy if they want to succeed this season and catapult themselves into the playoffs.

The stats reflect it. Machado got off to the worst start of his career, slowed by his recovery from offseason elbow surgery, and the Padres were 37-40 on June 18. Since then, he has raised his OPS from .661 to .919 and the Padres are 42-21 in that time.

“It has to be always me,” he told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “If we’re going to win, I have to perform. That’s just what it is. … For us to win, I gotta play at my caliber.”

For manager Mike Shildt, tapping into Machado’s leadership involved reassuring him that the team's success wouldn’t rest entirely on his shoulders this season.

“He said, ‘You don’t have to carry it,’ ” Machado recalled. “I think that was one of the biggest things. Shildty said when he got here, ‘You’re not gonna have to carry the load. We’re gonna spread this out.’ Sometimes that works. Sometimes it doesn’t. This year, everyone has just been a part of it.”

The team began talking about rallying around Machado to lighten his load as early as spring training.

Another factor for Machado has been the literal lightening of the load when it comes to his physical health. This often means not being on the field with his teammates for pre-game drills.

“Yeah, it sucks,” he said with a smile. “It takes a toll on your body."

The Padres have to take extra care of him in light of the elbow injury that affected him for much of last season, ultimately requiring surgery in Oct. 2023. He also pushed through other ailments that he refused to go on the injured list for.

Machado continues to experience occasional discomfort in his elbow and is consistently working to maintain its strength. That involves pregame activities for about five or 10 minutes of intentional work or instruction.

“I think we just put more emphasis on, like, it’s not quantity, it’s quality,” Machado said.

Recently, Profar reflected on how the Padres’ success has often depended on Machado’s performance in past seasons.

“It shouldn’t be that way,” he remarked.

Profar then explained to Acee how he believes it should work. Gesturing toward Machado, Profar said, “I’m playing for him. He’s playing for me. When you play like that, you’re going to be good.”