Manny Machado To Miss 5-7 Months With Surgery

The San Diego Padres have played their best baseball in the last few weeks of the 2023 season, thanks in part to Manny Machado's power resurgence.

But the longer they stay alive, mathematically, for the postseason, the more time they'll miss from one of their best players in the 2024 season.

Machado had one of his best games of the year Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting two home runs including a go-ahead, game winning shot in the 8th inning. But he's spoken publicly about an elbow injury he's dealing with, what's been described as "tennis elbow."

After the game, he spoke to Padres reporter Annie Heilbrunn, and confirmed that he intends to have surgery when the season is over, with a recovery time of roughly 5-7 months. And that surgery is clearly necessary, considering he also said it feels "like s***."

But the longer Machado delays the operation, the more games he could potentially miss in 2024. And therein lies his, and the Padres', dilemma.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 11: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres grounds out to first to end the top of the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on April 11, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Padres' Late Season Success Pushes Machado's Timeline Back

Had the Padres packed it in a few weeks ago, an entirely justifiable strategy given their atrocious August and start to September, Machado could have had the surgery already. That would have put his return date in the March-April range, right around the start of the regular season.

But out of nowhere, San Diego's surged to an eight game winning streak against the moribund Oakland A's, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals.

And as a result, Machado's kept playing, hoping to make a miraculous comeback for a wild card spot. Or at least, keep the rest of the season interesting.

But if he continues playing through the end of the regular season, he could potentially be out through May. For a team already staring down the loss of potential Cy Young winner Blake Snell and elite closer Josh Hader, losing Machado for several months could be significant.

Despite the Padres surprising run, their postseason odds are still just 0.7%. San Diego lost the tiebreakers to both Arizona and the Chicago Cubs, who sit in the 2nd and 3rd wild card spots. While it's a fun story and an optimistic finish to the season, Machado's 2024 contributions will almost certainly be more impactful.

Now that he's delayed the surgery even longer, those 2024 numbers may be quite a bit lower.