Samad Taylor Starts in Left Field in Padres' June 7 Win
samad taylor made his first start for the Padres on June 7, 2026, and it came in left field with his paternal grandmother in the stands. He had only two plate appearances and one strikeout before getting the start, which made the assignment feel more like a milestone than a routine lineup card move.
Taylor’s June 7 Start
Taylor batted eighth between Jase Bowen and Freddy Fermin. The Padres used him in left field for the first time, a notable shift for a 27-year-old who had not played this close to home since debuting in 2023.
He put the day beside his major league debut when asked about it. “It compares to my debut,” Taylor said, and he added that the setting carried extra weight because of his grandmother: “My grandma’s my everything.”
Sheila Marshall in the Stands
The family presence made the day stand out even more. Taylor said, “She’s my last grandma here,” and described their bond this way: “I feel like our connection has been strong ever since I could remember.”
He had already carved out a path to this moment. Cleveland drafted him out of Corona High in the 10th round in 2016, and he later reached the majors in 2023 after building speed and contact skills through the minors. At Triple-A El Paso, he hit.319/.406/.500 with seven home runs in 51 games and stole nine bases in 10 attempts. Before that, he swiped 50 bases with Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners system in 2024.
Padres Lineup Against Manaea
The start also fit into a Padres team trying to keep momentum. They had snapped a six-game skid on Saturday and entered the rubber match at 33-30, while the Mets came in at 28-36. San Diego was aiming for its first series win since May 22-24 at Petco Park.
Taylor’s opportunity came with the Padres scheduled to see an opener ahead of left-hander Sean Manaea. Manaea entered with a 5.42 ERA in 99⅔ innings since the start of 2025, but he had gone 5-1 with a 3.26 ERA in 49⅔ career innings against San Diego. Taylor called the moment “another day of baseball, but it’s a meaningful day,” and for a player with just two plate appearances in his new uniform, that was the point.
