Well, the dust has settled, and the San Diego Padres will meet the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Ideally, the Padres would love to field Ramón Laureano, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the outfield, but a fractured finger has derailed those plans.
Laureano will miss the entire postseason as his fractured finger will be in a splint for three weeks. His absence will offer Ryan O’Hearn an opportunity to become a Wild Card weapon.
2025 started in Baltimore and ended in San Diego
O’Hearn started
the 2025 campaign with the Baltimore Orioles before their fortunes fell apart. The clock was ticking on him remaining with the organization as he was heading into free agency at season’s end. O’Hearn became a hot commodity at the trade deadline because of his productivity from the left side of the plate. Plus, he has no problem putting on a glove, as O’Hearn is an adequate defender at first or in the outfield.
At the start of his tenure with the Friars, he seemed very tentative at the plate. Instead of sinking further into a prolonged slump, O’Hearn trusted his skillset would get him back on track. He sped up his bat through the zone to get on top of the ball. The adjustment allowed O’Hearn to become a dangerous run-producer that creates lineup mismatches late in close games.
Hard work could pay off in October
Listening to him in clubhouse interviews, you sense O’Hearn understands what it takes to be a major league baseball player. He has been a welcome addition to the locker room. O’Hearn works hard in pregame drills to be ready to start or come off the bench as a pinch-hitter.
O’Hearn has contributed since he arrived in San Diego. He is batting .276 with four home runs and 20 RBI in 50 games. His production has improved after the departure of Laureano from the lineup. Over the last week, O’Hearn is hitting .476 (10-21) with a home run and five RBI.
Before the injury, the Friar Faithful questioned how the team would utilize O’Hearn in the postseason. The resurgence of Gavin Sheets at the plate over the last month made choosing a left-handed designated hitter a difficult decision for Padres skipper Mike Shildt. But like most roster issues in professional sports, everything seemed to have worked out.
The loss of Laureano is significant, but the Friars have a deep lineup. Now, Sheets becomes the everyday left-fielder, and O’Hearn moves into the DH position. An opportunity has presented itself, and expectations are high for the Padres to put runs on the board in Chicago this week.
The postseason is here, and the Friars-Cubs matchup should be fun to watch. It is never easy to produce when the stakes are this high. But O’Hearn has a chance to become a hero and help San Diego advance into the next round.
Get your popcorn ready!
