San Diego Padres Hitters of the Month, July 2026: Manny Machado Rediscovers His Groove

[Steve Drumwright]

The funk from May and June appears to be over, but also serves as a reminder that this offense can suddenly turn bad. Perhaps it was an adjustment period with a new coaching staff, but July showed that the San Diego Padres can be a good offensive team. The Friars will need production like July, if not better, to get to where they want to go by the end of September.

Ranking Padres' Best Hitters in July

Honorable mention: Jackson Merrill, CF

July stats: .300/.330/.530, 26 games, 17 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR, 17 RBI, 5 BB, 24 K, 3 SB, 1 CS

After three months of not being a real factor in a struggling Padres offense, the center fielder came on strong in July. Including an 0-for-2 on July 1 that dropped his slash line to .211/.271/.341 (not his low point, but close to it), Merrill slashed .300/.330/.530 for the month to bring his season numbers up to .234/.285/.388, still far below his career norms.

That surge included seven homers and 17 RBIs. He still doesn't walk as much as you would like from a key contributor—he had just five in 106 July plate appearances—while striking out 24 times. He didn't run as much last month, either, stealing just three bases after having eight in June. The Padres are better when Merrill helps create offense, whether at the plate or on the bases.

No. 3: Luis Rengifo, UTL

July stats: .381/.469/.571, 13 games, 10 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 BB, 8 K, 2 SB, 0 CS

The de facto Samad Taylor replacement (and perhaps upgrade) has picked up where the unheralded spark plug left off with his strained right oblique that put him on the 10-day injured list. It is a good story for the Padres as well as Rengifo, who was released by the Milwaukee Brewers on June 23 and landed with the Friars on a minor-league contract a week later. He spent about a week at Triple-A El Paso when Taylor was hurt and Rengifo got his call-up.

Perhaps no longer feeling pressure in a new place (Milwaukee) and enjoying a second chance with San Diego, Rengifo homered twice in a three-game span after not going deep in 57 games with the Brewers. One decided a game and the other gave the Padres a chance at a big win. The first was a two-run shot that followed a Fernando Tatis Jr. RBI triple in the ninth inning of a 7-6 loss to Atlanta on July 22. Two days later, his two-run blast vs. the Miami Marlins broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning of a 4-2 triumph. Rengifo had five multi-hit games in July. He also scored three times in a game twice, including Friday's 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

No. 2: Ty France, 1B

July stats: .326/.370/.596, 23 games, 13 R, 6 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 3 BB, 21 K, 0 SB, 0 CS

Let's just call him Mr. Reliable because France just produces when the Padres need him to, yet it also feels almost unexpected. Still, the first baseman has made himself into a truly valuable piece of the offense, getting big hits and popping homers. He hit six of his 16 homers in July, including five in a seven-game span. He also had 11 RBIs, which was his third straight month with double-digit RBIs.

Those five homers came during a nine-game hitting streak in which he slashed .455/.487/1.030—yes, he slugged 1.030 due to four doubles and five homers among his 15 hits. He has 13 RBIs since the All-Star break, one of the best totals in MLB and just behind Tatis' 14. His biggest game of the month came in the Padres' 19-2 shellacking of the Kansas City Royals on July 19. France hit a pair of homers, one off a position player, and drove in five. He also had a three-RBI game against the Marlins in a 7-2 win July 25.

No. 1: Manny Machado, 3B

July stats: .292/.369/.552, 25 games, 16 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 13 BB, 25 K

Saying that the third baseman had his best month of the season is true, but is also clearing a low bar. This has been a pretty frustrating season for Machado. While the power numbers have been there, the batting average hasn't come along. But Machado was in the best groove of his season in July.

While hitting seven homers, one more than he belted in each of May and June, he had 28 hits in July, better than the 22 he had the previous month. But those handful of hits produced a .292 batting average for last month as opposed to a .220 mark for June. To show that he was a better hitter, he had nine multi-hit games in July after having 13 entering the month. He only went hitless in consecutive games twice (once for three games, the other two). He also had a 19-game on-base streak that ended Thursday, a stretch in which he slashed .338/.412/.608. That was his longest streak since a 22-game run in April-May 2022. Machado only had two multi-RBI games in July, but did drive in 19 total runners.

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