SAN DIEGO — As the San Diego Padres gear up for a potential postseason run, one of their big bats has taken another step toward returning to the lineup. Xander Bogaerts, who last saw action on Aug. 27 because of a fracture in his left foot, is preparing to start some “light baseball activity,” according to Padres manager Mike Shildt.
San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
“They’re doing some testing on him, and it’s very encouraging,” Shildt told reporters before the Padres continued a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park on Tuesday. “He’s going to start some light baseball activity.”
While Shildt offered the injury update, he also wanted to make sure reporters understood there was still a ways to go before Bogaerts could be back in the lineup.
“I want to temper the expectation here, but he’s starting to get some stationary ground balls, some dry swings, but it’s a start,” Shildt said. “The good news is, as he recovers, he can ramp up that activity and hopefully we’ll see him back on the field. But there’s still some time to take place, and some hurdles to jump over.”
Coming off a June and July where he hit .290 and .295, respectively, Bogaerts cooled off in August before his injury, posting a .241 average with 22 strikeouts in 87 at-bats, the most whiffs of any month this season. Bogaerts suffered the fracture after fouling a ball off his left foot, putting a stop to the 120 games he has started at shortstop in San Diego while serving as the team’s designated hitter on another nine occasions.
Jose Iglesias was in the San Diego lineup at shortstop for Tuesday’s game, his 22nd start of the campaign at the position. However, Iglesias has been struggling in recent games, going just 3-for-23 over his last seven contests.
This is the second season that the 32-year-old Bogaerts has missed time because of a fracture. Last year, he was shelved for more than seven weeks with a left shoulder fracture. The Padres believe that Bogaerts will return before the end of the season, a boost to a team that believes it can be a contender for the National League title this season.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
