CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 04: Jake Cronenworth #9 of the San Diego Padres hits a double in the fifth inning during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday, April 4, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
On Sunday afternoon Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch in Chicago and doubled over in pain. He played a couple more games, even hitting a home run against the A's in West Sacramento, which is impressive when you learn he had a broken rib.
An MRI revealed the break, prompting the Padres to put their two-time All-Star 2nd baseman on the 10-day Injured List before the start of a weekend series against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park.
"How about Jake Cronenworth? Man, what a tough dude," said Padres manager Mike Shildt. "Trivia question: how many guys have hit a homer with a fractured rib? Jake Cronenworth."
Cronenworth was a hockey player in his youth, no doubt part of the reason his toughness on a baseball field has never been questioned.
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"It's just kind of always how I've been," says Cronenworth. "I've been hit a lot and, you know, some are worse than others, but you always try to find a way to get through it. And, this one just unfortunately took the wrong way."
Jake says there's really no time table for his return from his kind of injury, but the timing of it happening is a little easier to swallow.
"Discouraging would be (if it happened) at the end of the season," says Cronenworth. "Being only 13 games into the year, hopefully being out for only a little bit of time and being able to finish the rest of the season is something to look forward to."
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Tyler Wade, an integral part of the 2024 Padres that won 93 games, was called up from Triple-A El Paso to fill the roster spot.
