Bad Break For Bogaerts Hurts San Diego’s Bid For First Flag Since 1998

San Diego’s bid for its first pennant since 1998 took a major hit when Xander Bogaerts broke his shoulder during a dive in the infield this week.

Bogaerts, whose adjusted payroll salary is listed by Spotrac at $25,454,545, is the highest-paid player on the Padres.

Now the team will have to play without him for at least two months, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune.

His spot will probably be taken by recently-acquired Luis Arraez, a two-time batting champion who had been serving as designated hitter because his defense at second base is undependable.

Officially, the roster spot occupied by Bogaerts went to David Peralta, a 36-year-old outfielder most recently with the Cubs. Pitcher Luis Patino transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Bogaerts on the 10-day list.

Even before the Bogaerts injury, which came while trying to field a hard grounder from Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., the Padres faced a difficult if not impossible path to a division title in the National League West.

With a 26-26 record entering play Friday, the team is seven games behind the front-running Dodgers and barely hanging on to a wild-card spot in the post-season tournament that includes six teams per league.

First medical reports indicate Bogaerts won’t need surgery but will require considerable time for the shoulder to heal. More tests are planned but a return before late summer is unlikely, team sources said.

The initial imaging was negative but subsequent tests revealed a fracture.

The Padres had hoped Bogaerts would boost his atypical .219 batting average – 66 points below his 2023 mark of .285. He is a .289 lifetime hitter.

A four-time All-Star and four-time .300 hitter with the Boston Red Sox before signing with San Diego as a free agent, Bogaerts shifted from shortstop to second base this season. His power seemingly evaporated at the same time.

The 6-2, 180-pound native of Aruba had personal peaks of 33 home runs and 117 runs batted in for the Red Sox in 2019 but had only four home runs in 200 plate appearances this year.

He joined the Padres during the baseball winter meetings on Dec. 8, 2022, when he signed an 11-year contract for $280 million, according to ESPN.

The deal surprised the baseball world because San Diego already had established shortstops in Fernando Tatís, Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim.

Tatís moved to right field to make room in the infield for Bogaerts. The Padres, an expansion team that began play in 1969, are the oldest team that has never won a World Series. They lost twice, in 1984 and 1998, to the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, respectively.

Bogaerts brought World Series experience from Boston, where he won two world championship rings, but so far, that hasn’t helped.