MLB star gives reporter sassy answer to why he’s struggling: ‘I’m not a theorist’

Padres third baseman Manny Machado made it clear he’s not interested in speculating about his struggles at the plate following his team’s loss to the Dodgers. When a reporter asked the seven-time All-Star if he had any theories about what may be causing his slump, Machado didn’t hold back. “I’m a baseball player, I’m not a theorist,” Machado said in a clip shared on X/Twitter. “You got something for me?” The question came after Machado went 1-for-4 in Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the Dodgers. It comes during a 16-game stretch in which he’s 5-for-60 (.083) with three extra-base hits. This season, Machado has been mired in an offensive slump. Through 47 games, about a quarter of the season, he’s batting .178 with a .603 OPS. He’s striking out a career-high 22.4 percent of the time, a sharp increase from his career 17.6% strikeout percentage. Since joining the Padres in 2019, Machado has received three All-Star nods. (2021, 2022, 2025) and took home Silver Slugger awards in 2020, 2024, and 2025. His 201 home runs with San Diego makes him the Padres’ all-time career home run leader. Machado is in the fourth season of an 11-year, $350 million contract extension he signed with San Diego ahead of the 2023 season.