Kentucky Professional Athletes

Jackson Merrill Is Must-Watch Baseball Right Now

Jackson Merrill has turned the final weeks of the 2026 MLB regular season into a personal showcase — and Kentucky fans have a front-row seat.

The Padres center fielder went on a tear during the week of Sept. 13–19, racking up hits in every game he appeared in, driving in clutch runs, and doing it against teams San Diego cannot afford to slip up against. He enters the stretch run batting .256, and the numbers only tell part of the story.

The week opened Sunday, Sept. 13 against the Giants, where Merrill contributed a two-run double in a 6-4 San Diego win. Fernando Tatis Jr. went 3-for-4 in the same game, but it was Merrill's clutch extra-base hit that helped put the game away. He followed that up Tuesday, Sept. 15 against Colorado with a 3-hit, 1-RBI performance in an 8-7 Padres win — the kind of game that can swing a division race.

He kept it going Wednesday, Sept. 16, going 2-for-4 against the Rockies, then delivered a monster doubleheader on Thursday, Sept. 17: a 3-hit game in one contest and an additional RBI performance in the other, with San Diego sweeping Colorado 9-2 and 9-3.

The exclamation point came Saturday, Sept. 19 against Miami. Merrill went deep — his 25th home run of the season — in an 8-2 rout of the Marlins. Dustin Harris also drove in two runs in that one, but the homer was the headliner, a milestone that cements Merrill's status as one of San Diego's most dangerous bats at precisely the right time of year.

On top of the on-field production, Merrill also picked up an award during the week — recognized formally for his contributions to a Padres team that has leaned on him all season, per a recent team notes report.

The Rest of the Kentucky Alumni

The news elsewhere in the alumni corps was quieter — and for Carson Coleman, outright sobering. The Yankees transferred the 28-year-old right-hander to the development list with Triple-A Scranton during their series against Minnesota, a roster move that effectively shelves him as New York manages its September roster decisions.

Taylor Rogers, pitching for the Twins, had a mixed week. He worked 1.2 innings against the Yankees on Sept. 15 — logging a strikeout but absorbed the pressure of a tough 8-1 loss. He'd also pitched Sept. 13 against Cleveland, going a clean inning but surrendering two earned runs, a performance that pushed his ERA to 4.86. At 33, Rogers has been a reliable late-inning arm in Minnesota but has had limited margin for error down the stretch.

Ryan Waldschmidt appeared in games for the Diamondbacks on Sept. 13 and Sept. 16 but went hitless in both, sitting at .256 and .254 respectively — still holding a roster spot but not making noise heading into the final series of the regular season.

Luke Maile gave Royals fans a minor bright spot, going 1-for-2 with a walk against Boston on Sept. 13, though Kansas City fell 4-1.

The headline writes itself: this is Merrill's moment, and Kentucky baseball has never had a more compelling representative in the majors this late in a playoff race.

Jackson Merrill is playing like a man on a mission. The Lexington product turned in one of the most dominant individual performances of the MLB week, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs to torch the Washington Nationals in a 9-2 Padres blowout on September 9 — and the timing couldn't have been more cinematic. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the game was played in 95-degree heat at Petco Park, the hottest game in the ballpark's history. Merrill responded by catching fire himself.

That explosive outing was the centerpiece of a dominant series against Washington. Merrill had already tallied three hits and two RBIs in the series opener, a tight 3-2 Padres win, and he kept it rolling into the weekend — going deep again on September 12 against the Giants in a 7-6 San Diego victory. By the time the Nationals series wrapped, Yahoo Sports was crediting Merrill directly with carrying the Padres to the sweep. That's not hyperbole — it's the box score.

The week-long tear pushed Merrill's average from .237 to .248, a meaningful climb in the heat of a pennant-race September. For a center fielder already in his second full MLB season, the performance signals something more than a hot streak. It's a statement.

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Elsewhere in the Big Blue alumni ledger

The week wasn't all fireworks. A pair of Kentucky arms and position players contributed quietly around the league.

In Colorado, shortstop Ryan Ritter found himself on the wrong end of a roster crunch — the Rockies optioned him to make room for third baseman Kyle Karros, who was reinstated from the concussion injured list. Ritter had been holding down a spot in an otherwise thin Colorado lineup, but with Karros cleared, the numbers game worked against him.

In Arizona, outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt continued to see action for the Diamondbacks, logging two runs scored and a walk against the Rangers on Saturday. He's hit at a .260 clip over the period — solid production for a young player working his way into the big-league picture.

Taylor Rogers, Kentucky's veteran lefty with the Twins, made appearances in each of his scheduled outings — 0.2 innings against the White Sox on September 6 and a clean inning of work with a strikeout against the Tigers on September 9. Rogers sits at a 4.61 ERA, still searching for the sharpness that made him one of the game's better relievers in his prime.

And over in San Diego, there's a quietly notable footnote: Kentucky's Trevor Gott, a veteran righty who spent time in the Nationals organization earlier this season, signed a minor league deal with the Padres during the week and was assigned to Triple-A El Paso. He won't be taking the mound alongside Merrill just yet, but the Big Blue presence in San Diego is quietly growing.

The headline, though, belongs entirely to Merrill. In a week where temperatures hit records and playoff races tightened, the former Wildcat was the hottest thing in a very hot ballpark.

Kentucky Alumni Report | MLB | Aug. 23–29, 2026

Two Kentucky Wildcats are staking their claim in the National League playoff race, and one of them did it in the most dramatic fashion possible.

Waldschmidt Delivers Arizona's Moment of the Week

Ryan Waldschmidt didn't just win a game — he made history for a franchise. The Kentucky-bred center fielder launched a walk-off two-run homer against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, Aug. 26, delivering Arizona its MLB-leading 40th comeback victory of the season. The Diamondbacks trailed 4-3 heading into the final frame before Waldschmidt ended it, punctuating the night with a swing that vaulted Arizona further into the NL wild-card picture.

The performance was particularly meaningful given Arizona was already playing shorthanded — without Ketel Marte in the lineup, the D-backs leaned on contributions from throughout the roster, and Waldschmidt answered loudest. He finished the week with a hit on Saturday against the Giants as well, closing the period batting .271. Across the week's action, he finished with 2 RBIs on the walk-off homer alone.

For a team built on resilience, Waldschmidt is becoming emblematic of the culture. Forty comeback wins doesn't happen by accident, and he's part of the reason why.

Merrill Keeps Raking in San Diego

While Waldschmidt was providing the dramatics in Arizona, Jackson Merrill was doing what he's done all season in San Diego: hit. The Padres outfielder was a consistent force at the plate throughout the week, logging multiple multi-hit performances across a stretch that helped keep San Diego in the thick of the NL playoff race.

On Sunday, Aug. 23, Merrill went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs, and a walk in a 7-5 Padres win over the Twins. He followed that up Wednesday against Pittsburgh with another two-hit outing — adding an RBI and a run scored in a 3-0 blanking of the Pirates. Then on Friday, he delivered again: 2 hits, a home run, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored against the Rays. Merrill closed the week batting .239, a number that undersells the quality of contact he's been making.

The Padres have needed every bit of it. San Diego is firmly in the NL wild-card conversation, and Merrill's consistency in the outfield — both at the plate and with the glove — has been central to their push.

Ritter Gets His Shot in Colorado

Ryan Ritter's week had a quieter but notable storyline: the Rockies recalled the shortstop from Triple-A during the period, and he made the most of his opportunity. With Ezequiel Tovar exiting a game against the Nationals with a left wrist strain, Ritter stepped in at shortstop in the sixth inning — a reminder that his path to playing time runs directly through the injury report. He also recorded a hit and scored a run on Wednesday in that same series against Washington. He's batting .200 on the season and working to hold his roster spot.

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The Wildcats aren't just hanging around in MLB — in August's home stretch, two of them are actively shaping what the NL postseason bracket could look like. Waldschmidt and Merrill are doing Kentucky proud, one big swing at a time.