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Padres’ Xander Bogaerts suffers shoulder injury vs. Braves

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Owen Crisafulli | Last updated 5/20/24

The San Diego Padres are in the middle of a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves, and they are looking to earn the series win with an early afternoon victory on Monday. Along the way, though, the Padres lost star second baseman Xander Bogaerts, as he was forced out of the game early after suffering a shoulder injury.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, Bogaerts dived to his left to snag a hard-hit grounder off the bat of Ronald Acuna Jr. While Bogaerts managed to catch the ball off the bounce, he landed on his left shoulder very awkwardly, and stayed on the ground as a run came in to score. Bogaerts was promptly removed from the game, with Tyler Wade being brought in to replace him at second base.

Xander Bogaerts has left the game. That didn't look good pic.twitter.com/RueTOafjFV

— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) May 20, 2024

Padres hoping Xander Bogaerts’ shoulder injury isn’t serious

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts (2) reacts after a single against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Anytime a player is quickly forced out of a game with an injury, it’s never a good sign, and Bogaerts appeared to be in quite a bit of pain after making this play. The hope is that he can avoid a stint on the injured list, but details are still fairly scarce on the injury, so we won’t really know the severity of it until tests have been done.

This is another tough blow for Bogaerts, who has had a sluggish start to the 2024 campaign so far (.220 BA, 4 HR, 14 RBI, .584 OPS). Things certainly haven’t been going right for him at the plate, and now he has an injury he has to worry about in addition to those struggles. It’s safe to say that things couldn’t be going much worse for Bogaerts right now.

Wade replaced Bogaerts in this game, and if he ends up being forced to miss an extended period of time, chances are he would take over for him on a full-time basis for however long that ends up being. Wade hasn’t been much better than Bogaerts so far this season (.246 BA, 0 HR, 6 RBI, .609 OPS), but if he struggles, the Padres have several other guys, such as Jake Cronenworth or Ha-Seong Kim, who can fill in at this spot in a pinch.

This is another unsettling development in Bogaerts’ short Padres tenure that has already been full of disappointing moments. Bogaerts wasn’t bad in 2023, but he was fairly underwhelming after he signed an 11-year, $280 million contract in free agency during the offseason. He then was moved from his natural position in shortstop to second base ahead of the season in a rather controversial decision.

While we don’t know how serious this injury is, all injuries are bad injuries in sports. Bogaerts will hopefully be able to return to the field soon, and once he does, he’s going to have to find a way to get going at the plate. If his struggles continue, public perception of his deal with San Diego could continue to become increasingly sour, which is pretty much the last thing both Bogaerts and the Padres want right now.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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