If the San Diego Padres are going to win the NL West, they’re going to have to do it without Xander Bogaerts.
The All-Star shortstop hit the 10-day injured list with a non-displaced fracture in his left foot, the team announced Friday. Triple-A infielder Mason McCoy was called up from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.
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Bogaerts sustained the injury by fouling a ball off the foot in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss against the Seattle Mariners. He stayed in the game, but subsequent testing apparently revealed the fracture.
Per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee, Bogaerts is not expected to return before the end of the regular season, though he does have a chance to come back during the postseason.
With Bogaerts out, utility man Jose Iglesias is the natural choice to take over at shortstop.
Xander Bogaerts had a painful, and costly, final at-bat on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Even if he does return for the playoffs losing the 32-year-old is a tough blow for the Padres as they fight the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West. San Diego entered Friday sitting two games back behind the Dodgers, who also own the tiebreaker. Since the start of July, they have managed to erase an 8.5-game deficit and even take the division lead at a couple points, but they currently still have some work to do with a month left in the season.
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San Diego is still positioned to make the playoffs, as they hold the second wild-card spot and are three games ahead of the line for the third and final spot.
While Bogaerts so far has not lived up to his 11-year, $280 million contract, his combined .292/.353/.431 hitting in June and July helped keep the division competitive. He was slumping again before his injury, but the Padres were probably going to be fine betting on a bounce back. Now, they have to wait until at least October.