LOS ANGELES — Jackson Merrill walked gingerly through the clubhouse Sunday afternoon, clearing favoring the left ankle that he rolled on Friday night. He wrapped it and played on it Saturday and got through two at-bats Sunday — two strikeouts — before the coaching staff pulled the plug on their 22-year-old center fielder.

The Padres entered their weekend series at Dodger Stadium in unfamiliar territory at this juncture of a season -- in first place. They had overturned a nine-game deficit and rode a five-game winning streak into Los Angeles.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego’s skyline is about to get a bold new addition — this time in the form of a four-story mural honoring Padres breakout star Jackson Merrill. The project, a passionate ...

Additionally, Padres star Jackson Merrill revealed how closely the Friars follow their California rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego is set to go through another intense series with Los Angeles as the divisional rivals lock horns again this weekend.

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.