Xander Bogaerts comes up single shy of cycle

Unlike Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., Bogaerts didn’t homer tonight. He did, however, deliver the hardest-hit ball of the game with his 112-mph single in the eighth. It topped his previous season-high EV by one mph, and it was the third-hardest ball he’s come up with in four years in San Diego. Bogaerts has had a rough season, but his exit velocity numbers are all right around or a little better than his career averages. We don’t feel great about him being signed for seven (seven!) more years after this one, but there’s a decent chance his numbers will bounce back some in 2027.

Bogaerts’ two-RBI single came on a hard-hit grounder against Drew Rasmussen in the top of the fourth. The 33-year-old also picked up his 18th steal, giving him a good chance to beat his previous career high of 20, set last season. The speed has been much needed from a fantasy perspective, as his batting average has collapsed to .217 this season. Bogaerts hasn’t hit below .260 since he was a 21-year-old in 2014. He also hasn’t batted in the upper half of San Diego’s lineup since the first series out of the All-Star break this year, a concerning development for a player signed through 2033.

X-rays after the game proved negative. Bogaerts was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk before departing Tuesday.

The 33-year-old infielder is mired in an extended slump at the plate, so giving him a day or two off to clear his head wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Sung-Mun Song will start in his place at shortstop and will bat ninth for the Padres against Janson Junk and the Marlins on Sunday afternoon.

It’s the lowest Bogaerts has batted since 2015, according to MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. The 33-year-old’s massive contract makes him extremely challenging to move at the upcoming deadline, but San Diego is probably going to be motivated to find a way, especially if they’re pivoting to more of a long-term reconstruction. He’s batting .194 (20-for-103) with one homer over his last 30 games and holds a career-worst .637 OPS through 95 games this season.

The context of this quote is the Padres attaching Bogaerts to closer Mason Miller being a “proposition too beneficial to pass up” for San Diego should they sell at the trade deadline. Bogaerts, 34 in December, is hitting just .224/.317/.331 this season and has slugged under .400 in each of his three years with the Padres so far. It’s probably far-fetched to believe Bogaerts has any positive trade value at this point, but if the Padres really want to move on from him, attaching Miller might be the way to do it.

Bogaerts gave the Padres an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when he sent a fastball from Shane Bieber 422 feet into deep left-center for his ninth homer of the season. Bogaerts had a chance to be the hero with two outs in the ninth inning when he stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. Unfortunately, a softly hit grounder to third ended the Padres’ hopes of a comeback. Friday marked the first homer of the month for Bogaerts, who continues to struggle at the plate. It’s still early in the month, but after a down June that saw him slash .211/.355/.237, the veteran shortstop has followed that up with a .152/.222/.303 line this month.

Sung-Mun Song gets a look at shortstop with Bogaerts taking a seat following 22 consecutive starts dating back to June 12. The 33-year-old veteran has hit .231/.321/.337 with 36 runs scored, eight homers, 33 RBI and 10 steals in 336 plate appearances through 85 games.

Bogaerts didn’t miss any starts after leaving Saturday’s game following a beaning, but he’s 0-for-10 since the incident. Of course, it might just be a coincidence. He’d previously opened June with five straight hitless games, and he’s now 4-for-37 for the month.

Bogaerts was able to shake it off initially after getting hit by a 94-mph fastball, but Sung-Mon Song then replaced him at shortstop. He’s likely day-to-day.