"I'll chirp him a little bit" - Padres star Jackson Merrill gets real about facing former teammate Jurickson Profar

Jackson Merrill and the San Diego Padres will face National League rivals the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day on Thursday, March 27. The Padres will play a three-game series at Petco Park to start their 2025 campaign.

While this year's season opener won't carry the same excitement as last year's two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea, there is a storyline to watch out for.

Former Padres star Jurickson Profar will return to Petco Park for the first time since his $42 million deal with the Braves in the offseason after Profar became a free agent.

Merrill, who shared the clubhouse with the veteran slugger during his stellar rookie campaign last year, is looking forward to their reunion and will not hold back against his former teammate.

"I'll chirp him a little bit but nothing crazy, you know how he gets when you chirp him," Merrill said. "I miss him a lot, but we got new people here and he's over there so just looking to have fun and play good baseball."

Jurickson Profar had a career year with the Padres last season as the NL West team made it to the postseason. Profar earned his first All-Star call and his maiden Silver Slugger award in 2024.

Jackson Merrill was unbothered by the position change in 2024

While Jackson Merrill had one of the greatest rookie seasons in franchise history with his remarkable output from the plate, the star outfielder made a name for himself playing center field for the first time in his career.

Merrill, who played all his career at shortstop, had no hesitation when asked to switch his position ahead of the 2024 season.

“It wasn't even a thought in my mind,” Merrill said. “I never said no to myself. I never said no to anybody. It was like, ‘You wanna play center?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I'm out there. I'm out there for you guys.’”

Although Merrill was one of the most clutch players in the league with his six game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the seventh inning or after, the young star admitted he was still getting on his feet.

"Last year was kind of hard for me to find my feet, find where I was at. Even if it didn’t look like it, it was still a process to get used to the new life.”

Jackson Merrill finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. However, the All-Star slugger is looking to improve on his breakthrough season in 2025.