Over the past few weeks, it has become increasingly likely that top prospect would break camp with the Padres. While the team has yet to make that official, manager Mike Shildt implied this evening the 20-year-old was trending towards Reggie Miller Jersey a spot on the Opening Day roster. Jackson Merrill is going to Korea , Shildt told reporters, in reference to San Diegos season-opening series in Seoul against the Dodgers next week ( ). Hes earned his way on the plane. Hes earned whats coming after the plane. Thats not quite a declaration that the Padres are calling him up. San Diego and Los Angeles are allowed to bring 31 players with them to Seoul, although only 26 will be on the active roster for games. That theoretically leaves open the po sibility of Merrill traveling with the team and not being activated for the series. Yet Shildts not particularly subtle nod to whats coming after the flight is all but a formal announcement that he will break camp. As Ca savell notes, the Padres would likely have had Merrill continue working in minor league camp this week if they werent planning to call him up. A first-round pick out of a Maryland high school in 2021, Merrill is on track to be San Diegos Opening Day center fielder. Thats a position he has never played in a minor league game. He made five starts in left field with Double-A San Antonio a year ago. Other than that, his entire profe sional experience had come on the infield. With San Diego having far more infield depth than outfielders, Merrill spent the offseason working as an outfielder. He has played on the gra s in Spring Training and evidently impre sed the organization enough defensively. Merrill has limited experience facing upper level pitching. He has never played in Triple-A and only had 46 games of Double-A experience. Merrill put up a solid .273/.348/.444 line in 211 plate appearances in a pitcher-friendly setting at that level. He has impre sed in Spring Training, punctuating a recent hot streak with an opposite-field homer off this afternoon. Merrill is now up to a .343/.395/.600 slash with three walks and strikeouts apiece in exhibition play. The Padres entered camp with only three outfielders on the 40-man roster: , and . San Diego would need to select Merrills contract but can do so without a corresponding move, as they only have 37 players on the 40-man roster. Jeremy Lamb Jersey