San Diego, CA
Padres notes: Jackson Merrill wraps up second spring with a bang; Yu Darvish in San Diego; CBT watch
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jackson Merrill is ready for his encore season.
“I’ve been ready since we stepped into the building for spring training,” Merrill said. “Maybe not like baseball-wise, but mind-wise, I’ve been ready to go. It wasn’t slow in spring training. Just had a few games where I didn’t feel too right. But then now it just feels like things are back.”
Aside from the one plate appearance the regulars will get in Monday’s Cactus League finale, Merrill on Sunday capped his second spring training as a major leaguer with his fourth home run in a 5-5 tie with the Diamondbacks.
He spoke afterward of this year being a different kind of learning process — one in which he had to get used to the routine of not playing routinely. He is the junkiest of baseball junkies, usually arriving at the ballpark before any other teammate and staying in the dugout until the end of almost every spring training game. So being an established big-leaguer this year and rarely traveling to away games in the spring was a foreign way to ramp up.
Last spring, he played almost every day as the Padres got him ready to make his big-league debut at what was then his new position in center field.
“Last year was a completely different vibe,” he said. “But I’m kind of a little bit — not upset with myself, but I think I could have treated it the same as last year and maybe got a little more progress out of it. But to be honest, I feel like I’m just in a spot now where I’m getting better day by day. So it’s kind of nice to chill and build it up, because now I’m ready for 162 better than I’ve ever been.”
Merrill was an All-Star last season, won the Silver Slugger for National League center fielders and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in NL MVP voting.
He came into this spring knowing he would be batting third this season as opposed to the back half of the lineup. He aimed to be more selective at the plate and then did not walk once in 45 plate appearances.
“That was kind of annoying, but I was getting pitches to hit,” said Merrill, who batted .244 (11-for-45) and put 11 of his 34 balls in play at 101 mph or harder in Cactus League play. “I think I had long ABs, good ABs — some bad ones, but a lot of good ABs and a lot of good contact. I think a lot more power, a lot more barrel. When I hit it, it sounds a little different than it did last year.”
Darvish update
Yu Darvish returned to San Diego and is expected to resume playing catch in the coming days.
The 38-year-old right-hander began experiencing elbow discomfort more than a week ago. His March 16 bullpen session was canceled, and he has not played catch since a brief turn throwing softly on Tuesday.
Darvish has been examined by Dr. Keith Meister, a renowned orthopedic surgeon. The Padres believe there is no ligament damage that would require surgery and that rest will be enough to get him back on the mound in relatively short order.
When Darvish returns, however, will be dependent on how he feels. And a team source reiterated Sunday the team’s plan has been to try to preserve Darvish for later in the season, so there will not be a rush for him to get back on the mound.
CBT watch
Once Yuli Gurriel ($1.25 million), Jose Iglesias ($3 million) and Martín Maldonado ($1 million) officially join Gavin Sheets ($1.6 million) on the 40-man roster, the Padres will be projected to be over the second Competitive Balance Tax threshold of $261 million.
They would be taxed at a rate of 20% on the first $20 million by which they exceed the $241 million base CBT threshold and 32% for every dollar they are over the second threshold.
Teams are not assessed that tax until their CBT payroll is figured out at the end of the season, so the final number could change via any number of transactions.
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Originally Published:
San Diego, CA
City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness
Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.
Located on 17th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.
“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.
Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.
“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.
Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.
But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.
“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.
In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”
Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.
However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.
“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.
Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.
He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.
“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.
The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.
San Diego Padres (14-7) at Los Angeles Angels (11-11), April 19, 2026, 1:07 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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San Diego, CA
Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com
SANDY, Utah — SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.
Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.
RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.
San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.
Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.
Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.
Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.
Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.
Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.
Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.
Ferree finished with five saves.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
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