The San Diego Padres finally clinched their spot in the postseason during their series against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a huge win, as it also brought the team closer to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West crown as well.
Even if they couldn't catch the Dodgers, the optimism surrounding the team, especially after beating the top team in baseball to clinch their postseason spot, was very high. That is, until some brutal news came out after their series finale against the Brewers.
According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, after the Padres fell to the Brewers 3-1, Padres manager Mike Shildt shared some brutal news on outfielder and top trade deadline pickup Ramon Laureano's status heading into the postseason.
The Padres get terrible news on Ramon Laureano ahead of the postseason
"Ramon Laureano has a fractured finger, Mike Shildt said," Lin reported. "Laureano will not be available for the first round of the playoffs."
Ramón Laureano has a fractured finger, Mike Shildt said. Laureano will not be available for the first round of the playoffs.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) September 24, 2025
This is some incredibly unfortunate news. Not only does this knock out a key piece of the outfield, but it also drastically diminishes the offensive firepower of the Padres, a team that has been lacking in that department all year.
With Laureano's regular season over, and if the Padres lose in the Wild Card round, his 2025 season as a whole, Laureano will finish with a career year at the plate.
Since the trade deadline, the 31-year-old journeyman outfielder had 49 hits, 27 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 30 RBIs, a .271 batting average, and an .817 OPS.
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While he cooled off after the initial hot start he had in August, Laureano was still a huge component of the Padres' success after the deadline. He has a $6.5 million option for 2026, and the Padres will likely pick it up, especially if he can't return for San Diego this season.
He could still return at some point during the playoffs, but at the very least, Laureano will miss the first round, which is likely against the Chicago Cubs. Since the Cubs are ahead of the Padres, San Diego will have to travel to Chicago for the first round of the playoffs.
This report from Lin is a brutal one for the Padres. Losing any player this late in the year is a crushing blow for a team. And for the Padres, losing a core piece of the offense and the defense at this point is going to be a tough hurdle to climb.
More Padres News:
- The Padres' potential postseason pitching rotation after a rocky regular season
- Brewers' Freddy Peralta makes history in start against Padres
- Mike Shildt back to playoffs: this time in walk-off fashion
- Former Padres Gold Glover finds new life in Atlanta