San Diego Padres president of baseball operations/general manager A.J. Preller signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year/$280 million contract on Dec. 9, 2022. He had a storied career with the Boston Red Sox before becoming a free agent and signing with San Diego. With Boston he won five Silver Slugger awards, was an All-Star four times and won the World Series twice. Padres fans were hoping that the Bogaerts who played for the Friars would be that same guy. Unfortunately, a series of injuries has interrupted all of his previous seasons prior to this one.
2023-2025 with the Padres
In 2023, Bogaerts had a recurrence of a wrist injury that had bothered him in the past and it plagued him for at least half of the season. He also had a calf injury toward the end of the season. He played in 155 games and hit .285 with a .790 OPS. His lowest season numbers in six seasons. His 19 home runs were consistent with his home runs totals his last two seasons in Boston. His best season was 2019 when Bogaerts hit 33 home runs and 117 RBI. He only had 58 RBI in 2023.
In 2024, Bogaerts played in 111 games due to a shoulder injury and hit .264 with a .688 OPS. His home run total dropped from 19 to 11 and RBI from 58 to 44. His arm strength was down from previous seasons, probably secondary to the injury. It should also be noted that Bogaerts played 85 games at second base rather than shortstop. Although his defense was average at best, the biggest issues were offensive.
In 2025, Bogaerts continued to have issues with his shoulder and also sustained hamstring and foot injuries that limited him to 136 games. His average was .263 with a somewhat improved OPS of .719. All still well below what was his normal for the past several years of his time with the Red Sox.
He again had 11 home runs with 53 RBI. His bat speed is up while his arm strength is improved despite still recovering from shoulder issues.The drop in power and production was the subject of many discussions among Padres fans and local media. Bogaerts has a superstar contract but was not delivering anything close to superstar production.
Defensively, Bogaerts has always had above average range but his injuries affected his throwing ability and he frequently bounced throws from the shortstop position. He did go from 15th percentile in arm strength in 2024 to 31st percentile in 2025.
Bogaerts in 2026
In 29 games and 109 at-bats, Bogaerts is hitting .275/.352/.431 with a .783 OPS. He has five homers, leading the team, and 17 RBI (one behind Ramon Laureano). Bogaerts has walked 13 times with 18 strikeouts. His expected offensive numbers (per Baseball Savant) show that he has been somewhat unlucky and should have better stats (.288 average and .458 slug).. He also has the lowest K-rate (13%) in his career. Bogaerts has the best walk rate of his career (10.7%) so far.
Since becoming a Padre there has been an unexpected development in his career, a change in his ability to steal bases.
Prior to 2023, Bogaerts never had more than 15 stolen bases in his time in Boston. Since joining the Friars, Bogaerts has 19/22, 13/16 and 20/22 steals respectively. In 29 games so far in 2026, he has three stolen bags without being caught.
Xander Bogaerts numbers so far this season makes him one of the 4 top offensive players for the Padres. He is the best performing of the regular starters with only Luis Campusano, Miguel Andujar and Ty France having a better batting average. Ramon Laureano comes closest with a .762 OPS and he has one more home run.
If we continue to see this version of Bogaerts for the majority of the season, it will undoubtedly add to the success of an currently underperforming offense that is still finding ways to win.
The ability to stay healthy and stay on the field will play a big role. Manager Craig Stammen has shown a determined intention to get his players regular rest and that could be a major factory in keeping the regulars healthy and on the field.
Xander Bogaerts has been making an impression on both sides of the ball. His desire to show Padres fans what a healthy player could do brings a new appreciation for the 33-year old shortstop.
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