The Padres have a gaping hole in left field. However, that hole gets a little less gaping with Brandon Lockridge in the lineup instead of Jason Heyward.

The departure of Jurickson Profar in free agency left a giant void in left field on the Padres’ roster. Thus far, seven different players have logged at least an inning in left field this year for the Padres.

When the season began, the team intended on a Jason Heyward/Connor Joe platoon. That has completely crumbled, with Joe being traded to the Reds and Heyward struggling mightily.

An underrated acquisition came at the deadline in 2024. In what seemed like a throwaway trade, the Padres sent reliever Enyel De Los Santos to the Yankees in exchange for Lockridge.

In May of 2025, that trade might be one of the most underappreciated ones A.J. Preller executed over the last few seasons. Lockridge is San Diego’s best-performing left fielder at the moment. Unfortunately, the bar is very low.

Indeed, he is playing much better than the 35-year-old Heyward.

Many assume that this could be a straight platoon, with Heyward manning duties against right-handers. However, if you dig deep, you see that doesn’t make sense. Lockridge actually has reverse splits.

Against right-handers as a right-handed batter himself, he is batting .280 with a .693 OPS. Against lefties, where it’s assumed most righties have an advantage, he is hitting just .192 with a .519 OPS.

Meanwhile, Heyward struggles against lefties over his career, with a .230 lifetime average.

The platoon splits are non-existent.

Meanwhile, Lockridge is hitting the ball harder (88.1 mph average exit velocity versus Heyward’s 84.9). Lockridge stands out against Heyward with his better strikeout rate (17.5% vs. 21.2%).

Not only that, but Lockridge is one of the fastest baseball runners, with a 97th percentile sprint speed. Heyward is 51st. Lockridge appears to be the better defender at this stage in a limited sample size. Lockridge ranks 88th percentile for Outs Above Average in the outfield, while Heyward sits 66th.

Add all this up, and it basically doesn’t make sense to ever start Heyward over Lockridge in left field.

Yes, neither option is particularly great for San Diego. Lockridge is not a league-average hitter (72 OPS+). He has virtually no power. But his speed, defensive skills, and slightly better contact rate should be enough to get him in the lineup almost every day from now on.

For now, at least. The trade deadline is in two months, and the Padres desperately need to upgrade their outfield situation. Taylor Ward, the Angels’ hitter who just pestered them for three games, seems like a prime candidate.

Until a deal can be made, Lockridge should be the guy. It was telling on Wednesday, when manager Mike Shildt slotted him in the starting lineup against a righty, normally a spot for Heyward.

The Troy product rewarded his skipper’s trust with a crucial two-run single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning Wednesday night, essentially sealing the win for the Friars.

Until a true upgrade can be found, Lockridge is the best option the organization has in-house for the left field spot. But to make a truly deep postseason run, that won’t be good enough in the long run.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.