Xander

Bogaerts

Bogaerts promptly homered after a visit from the trainer and then took what was probably his slowest trot of his career. We’re guessing this was a cramping situation and that he’ll be OK for Tuesday.

Bogaerts finished the game at shortstop today and Mason McCoy was lifted for a pinch-hitter. It sounds like he might get his first start at the position sometime soon, as the Padres need the extra offense.

It’s the first time in the second half that Bogaerts hasn’t been in there as either a second baseman of DH. Donovan Solano is DHing today.

Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters Kim isn’t likely to require much longer than a minimum stay on the injured list after an MRI earlier this week that didn’t reveal any structural damage. It’ll be Tyler Wade filling in at shortstop temporarily as the Padres seem unlikely to move Xander Bogaerts back to shortstop for just a few days.

Bogaerts took Cal Quantrill deep to make it 6-3 Rockies in the fourth inning. That’s just the sixth homer of the season for Bogaerts; partially due to the fact that he’s been limited to 73 games, and partially because he just hasn’t been all that good even when he’s been healthy (.267/.308/.373). Maybe this can be the catalyst to a strong ending to his 2024 year.

Bogey has been on fire since coming off the IL, but this is his first home run since fracturing his shoulder, which is good to see. He didn’t get cheated either with a 400-foot shot that left the bat at 106.2 mph. He still has yet to steal a base since coming back from his injury and that was a huge part of his fantasy success last year, so managers should keep an eye on that going forward.

Bogaerts has been on an absolute tear since coming off the injured list on July 12, with his eighth multi-hit effort in 10 games. He doubled in the third inning to drive in a run, then tripled in the seventh before scoring on a sacrifice fly. Bogaerts reached once more in the ninth with his second double. The 31-year-old shortstop is hitting .272/.313/.373 with four homers, 29 runs scored, 17 RBI, and five steals across 243 plate appearances.

The 31-year-old now has two hits in five of six games since coming off the IL and has gone 10-for-25 (.400) overall in that span. He hasn’t hit any home runs in those six games and has stolen just one base, so there remain some questions about whether the fractured shoulder will impact his power and speed, but him being in the lineup and on base often is good to see.

The Padres strung together three singles against Chris Sale in the opening inning, with Bogaerts’ knock plating Donovan Solano with the game’s first run. Bogaerts also led off the eighth inning with an infield single. He is now hitting .231/.274/.323 with four homers, 15 RBI and four stolen bases through his first 49 contests on the season.

It’s a planned off day for Bogaerts as the Padres ease him back into the mix following an extended layoff recovering from a fractured left shoulder. The 31-year-old veteran infielder figures to spend most of him time at second base moving forward, but it’s possible he could bounce around the infield in the future as well.