The San Diego Padres are not about to concede anything to the powerhouse team in the National League West Division known as the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the Dodgers are the defending World Series champions and they have won the division title in 11 of the past 12 seasons, the Padres are a team of battlers and excellent players who have pushed their rivals hard in the past. One of the Padres' key performers is Xander Bogaerts, and he is returning to his most familiar position.

The Padres spoke with Bogaerts in the offseason about returning to shortstop, and the former Boston Red Sox star is happy to make the move. Bogaerts has played shortstop throughout the majority of his career, but he moved to 2nd base at the start of the 2024 season because the Padres wanted Ha-Seong Kim in the lineup at shortstop.

Bogaerts adjusted and moved without issue, but he came back to shortstop in the second half of the season after Kim injured his shoulder. Kim was a free agent in the offseason and he has since signed a contract to play with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Since Kim is no longer in the picture for the Padres, the shortstop position once again belongs to Bogaerts.

Bogaerts has been a multiple-time All-Star during his career

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts (2) reacts after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Bogaerts suffered a broken shoulder during the 2024 season, suffering the injury when he dove for a ground ball in a game last May against the Atlanta Braves. As a result of that injury, he was only able to play 111 games for the Padres.

The 32-year-old Bogaerts is preparing for his 13th season in the big leagues and his third with the Padres. He spent the first 10 years of his career with the Boston Red Sox, and he was a stellar performer for that team. He made the American League All-Star team four times as a shortstop for the Red Sox.

Bogaerts struggled for much of the 2024 season as he slashed .264/.307/.381 with 11 home runs and 44 runs batted in.

Bogaerts and the Padres are hoping he can get back to the best form he had during his tenure with the Red Sox. He best year came in 2019 when he slashed .309/.384/.555 with 33 home runs and 117 RBI.

The Padres finished second in the NL West last season with a 93-69 record. They finished 5 games behind the Dodgers. San Diego got off to an excellent start in the postseason as the Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves 2-0 in the Wild Card round.

They had a 2-1 series lead over the Dodgers in the divisional playoffs, but the Dodgers won the last two games of the series and eliminated the Padres.