2 min read • May 29, 2022
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The Padres announced on Saturday that star third baseman Manny Machado would miss today's game with a case of tennis elbow in his right arm.
Machado has been dealing with the ailment for a few days, according to San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee, and today will be his first day off of the season. The third-baseman will likely be available for a pinch-hit opportunity if needed.
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis irritation of the extensor tendon on the outside of the elbow, is named as such because it impacts the muscles important to a tennis player's back-handed swinging motion.
The issue is not a serious one, according to our team of ProBaseballDocs, and its location and severity are both good news for the Padres.
Luckily, this is an overuse tendinitis injury and not traumatic in nature, so it will dissipate eventually and won't be a long-term or season-long injury. His ability to perform through the ailment will be reliant on its management.
The injury is on the lateral outside of the elbow, meaning it has nothing to do with the UCL, or Tommy John ligament, which is why he will still be able to play defense unlike Bryce Harper.
Likewise, because it is on his right arm and not his left, it won't affect his batting in the same way it would on the other elbow, as the batting motion would irritate the extensor tendon.
Overall, the injury is a minor one for the MVP candidate and one that will go away in due time. He carries an SIC player health score of 90, indicating his durability is not a concern.
Machado has been blazing hot out of the gate, batting an NL-high .357 with a league-high 1.021 OPS with eight home runs, 21 extra-base hits, and 35 runs.
He will continue to man the left side of the infield without Fernando Tatis Jr., who is progressing in his rehab from a broken wrist but is still a month-or-more away from returning to the team.
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Tennis elbow for Manny Machado. He’s been playing with it for a few days.
