Xander

Bogaerts

All of his hits were singles, but Bogaerts had his first game with three exit velocities of at least 105 mph since 2014. Considering we know he’s been dealing with a lingering shoulder issue, the exit velocities are encouraging.

Bogaerts returned for Friday’s series opener in Milwaukee after being held out of Thursday’s showdown against the Giants with left shoulder soreness. The fact that he’s already back in San Diego’s lineup is an extremely encouraging development since he missed nearly two months last season due to a shoulder issue.

Bogaerts left Wednesday’s game with left shoulder soreness, and the 32-year-old will get another day of rest at least before being inserted back in the starting lineup. Jose Iglesias will be the fill-in with Bogaerts unavailable.

This is the same shoulder that Bogaerts fractured last season, so it’s not an ideal situation. Bogaerts himself said, “It’s the same thing like I had last year.” He elaborated that his shoulder “has been bothering him for a couple days” and that it causes him discomfort when he is batting. An IL stint would not be out of the question, and it’s clear that Bogaerts is not the same hitter he was prior to the injury.

It’s a routine day off for the veteran with Jose Iglesias playing shortstop and batting eighth. Bogaerts has gotten off to a slow start this season and is hitting .241/.329/.362 in 17 games in May with two home runs and 12 RBI. He has stolen four bases over that stretch and has a solid 12/9 K/BB ratio, so the plate discipline and speed remain there.

Bogaerts blistered a three-run homer off Kyle Hendricks in the first inning for his third homer of the season. After forging just a .640 OPS in April, he still hasn’t found his footing in May as he’s still slashing a less-than-desirable .241/.333/.368. Bogaerts was once one of the best infielders in fantasy baseball. His two-plus seasons in San Diego haven’t gone nearly well enough to call him one still. It’s early enough to turn things around, at least.

The Padres got all of their runs in the eighth, with Manny Machado delivering a two-run double before Bogaerts stepped to the plate. Bogaerts’ big hit gave him five RBI in two days after he had just eight through 32 games. The Padres badly need him to be a run producer, as they offer very little offense behind him in the bottom half of their lineup.

It’s been a slow start to the season for Bogaerts, but he has gone 6-for-23 with one home run, two steals, and six RBI over his last six games. He continues to hit in the middle of the Padres’ lineup almost every day and has already swiped six bases on the year, so that keeps him on the fantasy radar in most formats.

Bogaerts put the Padres on the board early with a base hit in the first to score Manny Machado from second base before coming around to score on a hit by Jose Iglesias. Bogaerts later extended the lead with a two-run blast off Randy Rodríguez in the seventh for his first home run of the season. The 32-year-old shortstop is hitting .253/.342/.364 with 13 runs scored, eight RBI and four steals over 114 plate appearances.

Bogaerts will get a break after picking up just three hits in his last six games. He’ll take a seat with Jose Iglesias moving over to shortstop and Tyler Wade starting at second base.