SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin says he'll have prostate surgery Wednesday and hopes he misses only part of a forthcoming road trip.
Melvin said he doesn't think he has cancer, "but they won't know until they get in there.” He was in street clothes during his pregame session with the media before Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs.
Melvin, who was hired away from Oakland on Nov. 1, said he's been feeling various symptoms since the team returned from a road trip last Wednesday night.
He has been bothered by what the team called a gastrointestinal issue. He was at the ballpark last Thursday night but did not manage in a 2-1 win against Miami. He was replaced by bench coach Ryan Christenson.
On Monday evening, the Padres said Melvin might miss a few games in the coming days, including a series opener against the Cubs. A few hours later, they said Melvin was feeling a little better and decided to manage the game, a 6-0 loss. Melvin wasn't feeling well enough to do the post-game news conference, so third base coach Matt Williams handled it. The team announced that Christenson, who would have been interim manager if Melvin couldn’t have managed, entered COVID protocols.
Christenson was to manage Tuesday night's game if he cleared protocol in time, and then manage in Melvin's absence.
“Hopefully Ryan's back today, too,” Melvin said. “I’m not sure what today’s going to look like, but on the road, yes. Our staff is great. They’ll probably do a better job than I would.”
The Cubs series ends Wednesday afternoon and the Padres begin a three-city, nine-game road trip that starts Friday and ends May 22. Melvin said he hopes to miss only the first six games, in Philadelphia and Atlanta. The trip concludes with three games in San Francisco.
“I'll watch and we'll probably have talks every day about lineups and such," Melvin said. "I hope it's only Atlanta and Philadelphia, but if it's the entire road trip, it's the entire road trip.”
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