Padres infielder/outfielder Luis Rengifo has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and a sprained MCL in his right knee, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. He’ll undergo season-ending surgery. He is already on the 10-day injured list but will be transferred to the 60-day IL when the Padres need his roster spot.
Rengifo suffered the injury during the seventh inning against the Rays on Saturday. A base-running gaffe resulted in two Tampa Bay players trapped between second and third base. Rengifo, the second baseman, fielded a throw from the outfield and chased the trail runner. When the lead runner broke for home plate, he planted to make a throw, and his right leg buckled under him. Rengifo had to be carted off the field.
It’s a brutal development for a player who’d emerged as an everyday option in San Diego. Rengifo signed with the Padres after being released by the Brewers. He joined the big-league squad in July and hit the ground running at the plate. The veteran notched a 1.041 OPS in July, which included a pinch-hit, go-ahead home run in his seventh game with the club. Rengifo cooled down considerably in August (.656 OPS), but he was helping plug holes in both the infield and the outfield.
Milwaukee signed Rengifo to a one-year, $3.5MM deal. He scuffled to a 52 wRC+ in 52 games with the club. It was his first season away from the Angels, where he had multiple seasons of viable production at multiple positions. Rengifo was able to rebuild his value after latching on with the Padres, with another trip to free agency looming. That outlook has now changed. The injury will likely cost Rengifo a significant chunk of the 2027 season. The damage to multiple ligaments adds an extra layer of uncertainty.
San Diego lost a pair of left field options over the weekend with Gavin Sheets also hitting the injured list. It was Dustin Harris who drew the start out there on Sunday. He’s in left field once again tonight in Cincinnati. The Padres also have Austin Hays and Samad Taylor as candidates to pick up reps at the position.
Taylor was playing well before straining his oblique in early July. He had slashed .330/.410/.398 through 26 games. Taylor returned on Sunday and picked up a hit off the bench. It’s been a few years since he’s played the infield, but he has experience at second and third base. He could step into the multifaceted role vacated by Rengifo.
