Manny Machado has three short-term replacements

Manny Machado, the talented third baseman for the San Diego Padres, could miss some time due to an ankle issue. In the short run, who might possibly replace him?

The San Diego Padres’ third baseman and early NL MVP candidate, suffered a left ankle sprain in the first inning of Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, which is better than what the injury initially appeared to be.

Machado, who was second in the National League in batting average and on-base percentage entering Sunday, will almost certainly miss some time, if only for a few days.

Here are three short-term replacements for Machado at third base while he’s out.

Infielder Ha-Seong Kim of the San Diego Padres could be a short-term replacement for Manny Machado

Ha-Seong Kim of the San Diego Padres is already on the 26-man roster and has played third base.

Since Fernando Tatis Jr. has yet to play in a game in 2022, Kim has mostly played shortstop, but he has appeared in parts of 12 games at third base, including late in the game on Sunday.

He’s hitting.222/.309/.353 with four home runs and 23 RBI this season, which is a far cry from Machado’s (.328/.400/.545 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI).

If Kim moved to third, Triple-A would likely call up MLB.com’s No. 9 overall prospect, C.J. Abrams, to play shortstop.

Sergio Alcántara is a Padres infielder

The San Diego Padres claimed infielder Sergio Alcántara off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month. He hasn’t been quite as good as Machado at the plate, but he has played some third base.

In 31 plate appearances with the Padres, Alcántara has hit.129/.176/.129.189/.200/.321 in 53 plate appearances with Arizona, so a few-game stint would be ideal. If Machado will be out for longer than that, he hasn’t demonstrated why he should be Machado’s successor.

Eguy Rosario, a Triple-A infielder for the Padres

Eguy Rosario is currently with Triple-A El Paso, but if Machado requires an IL trip, the Padres could call him up to make his MLB debut.

According to MLB.com, Rosario, 22, is the Padres’ #6 prospect, and he can play third base, second base, and shortstop.

Rosario had appeared in 61 games at the Triple-A level as of Sunday, and he was batting.

With nine home runs and 29 RBI, he hit 261/.344/.452.

Rosario, who has yet to make his Major League Baseball debut, is already on San Diego’s 40-man roster, so he may be brought up with a 26-man roster move rather than a 40-man roster move.