Grisham out of lineup with quad injury
SAN DIEGO -- The Padres presented Trent Grisham with his 2020 National League Gold Glove Award ahead of the series finale against the Dodgers on Sunday at Petco Park, but Grisham couldn’t take center field to defend it.
The Padres scratched Grisham from their lineup shortly before first pitch with left quad tightness, a day after he appeared to aggravate the injury early in a 2-0 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night.
Grisham singled off Clayton Kershaw in the bottom of the third inning and seemed to hobble a bit as he trotted slowly to first base. He was assessed by a team trainer immediately afterward but remained in the game.
On Sunday, Grisham was initially back in the lineup, batting first. But he was scratched an hour before first pitch. Jorge Mateo replaced Grisham in center field, with Jurickson Profar moving to the top batting spot.
Grisham missed the first week of the season while recovering from a left hamstring strain, and it's unclear whether the two injuries are related. Since his return, he has been a pivotal presence for the Padres -- an excellent defender in center and a force atop the lineup. In eight games, Grisham is hitting .323 with three home runs.
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It's also perhaps telling that, even with Grisham out, the club didn't turn to Profar as his replacement. Right fielder Wil Myers missed time earlier this week while battling tendinitis in his right knee. The club didn't offer any reason for his absence on Sunday.
Grisham’s Gold Glove was cause for plenty of debate last November, when he edged out Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger, who won the award in 2019. They finished 1-2 among National League outfielders in outs above average.
It was, perhaps, a coincidence that the Padres presented Grisham with his award this weekend of all weekends. But -- after Bellinger was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left fibula on Friday -- neither of the two were there to make their case on Sunday afternoon.