San Diego Padres 2020 Prospects
Taylor Trammell after hitting a grand slam in Tulsa last season. Photo credit: background, Tim Campbell, via milb.com; inset, also milb.com.

Taylor Trammell, a highly touted San Diego Padres prospect, shared his thoughts this week on the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.

As reported by The Athletic’s Dennis Lin via Twitter, Trammell commented on the state of race relations in the U.S. following the May 25 death of Floyd and the resulting protests across the country.

Lin shared an image of the post Tuesday. It was no longer on Trammell’s Instagram account by Thursday.

In the post, Trammell, 22, noted he wanted to be “straight and clear as can be.” Activism, he seemed to suggest,  isn’t a social media trend to latch on to or “to make you feel good about yourself.”

“We need support from everyone to change,” Trammell concluded. “If you are behind us now, we expect it for the long haul.”

A bystander captured Floyd’s death on video as Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin restrained him by bracing a knee on the handcuffed man’s neck.

The authorities charged Chauvin with murder. Three other officers face lesser counts. The city fired the officers less than 24 hours after Floyd, suspected of passing a counterfeit bill, died.

Trammell later thanked Lin for sharing his post, adding, “And I meant every word.”

The Padres prospect has followed the case closely on Twitter, posting his reaction and sharing posts from other prominent athletes like CC Sabathia, Andrew McCutcheon and Dwyane Wade.

He also noted the Padres’ post on Blackout Tuesday, as many accounts went silent on social media in protest and mourning for Floyd’s death.

Other MLB players have participated in protests or posted to their social accounts about the case as well.

Trammell hit .391 in 13 games in March before the the coronavirus hit, cutting spring training short. MLB Pipeline ranks the outfielder as the Padres’ second-top prospect, according to MLB.com.

– Staff reports