Padres' Manny Machado Placed on IL for Hand Injury: 'Sucks That I Have a Broken Bone'

The San Diego Padres placed star infielder Manny Machado on the 10-day IL Friday with a fractured bone in his hand and have retroacted the designation to May 16, according to an announcement by the organization.

Machado, 30 suffered the injury in Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals after being hit in the hand by 80.8 mph slider from pitcher Brad Keller.

It's his first trip to the IL since 2014 when he sustained a season-ending knee injury while with the Baltimore Orioles.

"I think it's what's maybe best for the team and for myself as well," Machado told reporters Friday. "And if I can't go, I can't go. Someone needs to step up and be able to have extra spots on the bench or whatever. So it's tough. Yeah, it sucks, but unfortunately, circumstances sometimes put you in these situations. It just sucks that I have a broken bone."

As the corresponding move, San Diego is calling up infielder Brandon Dixon from Triple-A El Paso.

It's been a rough first quarter of the season for Machado and the Padres thus far, just a few months removed from a surprise trip to the NLCS with the same core group of star players.

Machado, a six-time All-Star and two-time All-MLB First-Team selection, is batting .232/.282/.372, all would be career lows, with five homers and 19 RBI.

It's a far cry from the player that helped lead the franchise on an incredible postseason run in 2022.

As for the Padres, they sit a lowly fourth place in a loaded NL West division. They entered Friday 7.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and now lose a major piece of their lineup.