SAN DIEGO — In late July, before it seemed clear he was truly back, Jackson Merrill spoke about returning to his roots. The San Diego Padres had just swept three games against the Miami Marlins after their 23-year-old center fielder launched the go-ahead solo shot in the series finale.It was Merrill’s fourth home run in four games. And yet, after nearly two-thirds of an exasperating season, the youngest of San Diego’s stars was hitting 13 percent worse than league average.The situation might have suggested the need for an overhaul. Merrill, instead, described a process of simplification.“I haven’t tried to change my mechanics at all,” Merrill said that afternoon. “I actually feel like I tried to just be myself. Like, swing like I always have since high school.”Merrill, the Padres’ first-round draft pick in 2021, went on to explain that he had recently watched videos of his teenage self. Screw it, he recalled thinking. I’m going to go to the field the next day and swing like this, see what happens.The next day, in a blowout win against the Kansas City Royals, he homered twice for the first time since last July.“I kind of just sort of found the feeling, and I’m just going to ride with it, you know?” Merrill said. “Worst thing you can ever do is change your swing in the middle of it.”More than two weeks later, the Padres are still in the middle of it. They beat the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 on Monday night, winning for the 13th time in 17 games and maintaining their position just outside the National League playoff picture. The hero in this series opener resembled the rookie who powered them to a 19-3 run soon after the 2024 All-Star break.