Padres Injury Report: Manny Machado Returning From Ankle Sprain Thursday Night Vs. Dodgers

Star third baseman Manny Machado will make his return to the Padres' lineup on Thursday night, 12 days after he suffered a grade 3 left ankle sprain.

Manny Machado Injury Update

Machado will bat second in the order and play DH, as expected, against the division rival Dodgers while he continues to recover from the June 19 injury.

The 30-year-old was surprisingly able to avoid the injured list despite the ProBaseballDocs' initial assessment that he could miss a month-plus with the sprain. 

That estimate was based on the assumption he would have to wait nearly two weeks for the swelling to go down. However, the Padres training staff and Machado were able to minimize the swelling enough that he was able to walk through the clubhouse without a limp the next day.

The biggest hurdle in his return initially will be running the bases, as noted by San Diego manager Bob Melvin. 

He is still dealing with ligament damage and will need time to strengthen those damaged ligaments before he can return to play third base or run the bases at his usual pace.

That likely won't happen until after the All-Star break.

Machado was nursing tennis elbow in his right arm before the sprain. It may pop up again, but will be a minimal issue the remainder of the season, according to our team of Pro Baseball Docs.

Machado is one of the front-runners for the NL MVP award as the All-Star break approaches, batting .328 with 12 home runs, 46 RBI, 48 runs and 3.9 WAR, good for fourth in all of MLB.