The San Diego Padres have not enjoyed the level of success they hoped for so far this season. A myriad of injuries have played a part. Manny Machado, Nelson Cruz and Seth Lugo have missed time and Xander Bogaerts is currently dealing with something. Fortunately, he may only miss a few games.
Bogaerts has been dealing with a left wrist issue for a while but said that he doesn't think he'll need an IL stint, according to the MLB website. He was pulled from the Padres' latest game and is expected to have at least one rest day.
“I probably haven't played this long with it,” said Bogaerts, via the MLB website. “I knew Manny [Machado] was hurt, and I felt like I want to go out there, and I want to be there. Obviously, now he's back…Let's see how it is. Then once it's feeling right, all we've got to work on is getting rid of the bad habits you created with that.”
San Diego manager Bob Melvin didn't say whether Bogaerts is going to be ready soon. But his update gives the impression that the Padres are monitoring him to see where he is at on a day-by-day basis.
“He was feeling it, it looked like the last couple at-bats almost on every swing. We'll take a look at him tomorrow, probably end up giving him an off day. We'll see how he responds,” Melvin said, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Xander Bogaerts has a 105 OPS+ through 57 games this season, which is disappointing for someone with a 133 OPS+ over the previous five seasons. The Padres' new shortstop can certainly be afforded some time to adjust but the team is hoping he can play like a star again soon.
The season has plenty of time left but the Padres are just 27-31, behind every team in the NL West standings besides the Colorado Rockies. And even the Rockies are just two games behind them. Even Juan Soto's old team, the Washington Nationals, are on their tails. San Diego has to get on the right track to make the most of their new core.