Xander

Bogaerts

Bogaerts put the Padres on the board with a solo homer off of Edward Cabrera to lead off the second inning. It was a 108.3 mph blast for his fifth homer of the season. He later drew a walk in the fourth, stole second, then scored on a base hit. The 33-year-old shortstop is having a solid season at the dish so far, hitting .286/.364/.448 with 14 runs scored, 17 RBI, and three steals across 118 plate appearances.

Bogaerts and Ramón Laureano, who had three hits and two RBI today, have been the Padres’ most productive regulars this season, but while that got Laureano a promotion to the leadoff spot, Bogaerts still isn’t batting any higher than fifth. It’s kind of funny, since the Padres initially thought about using Bogaerts in the leadoff spot and dropping Fernando Tatis Jr. to cleanup this year. Bogaerts, though, keeps hitting below Tatis, Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado despite having the better OPS by 150-200 points.

Bogaerts knocked a base hit in the second inning, then drove in two runs for the Padres with a single in the third. He later drove in a third RBI with a single in the eighth for his third hit of the game. The 33-year-old shortstop is hitting .270/.333/.397 with two homers, four runs scored, 11 RBI, and two steals across 69 plate appearances.

It will be the first time that Tatis starts at second base. The 27-year-old is a former shortstop and plenty athletic, so it shouldn’t be too difficult a transition; even if there are some growing pains. Nick Castellanos will be the right fielder, Jake Cronenworth will handle shortstop and Xander Bogaerts is on the bench to begin Saturday’s game.

In what had been a wild back-and-forth affair throughout the night, Bogaerts finally delivered the crushing blow as he ambushed a 1-0 sinker from Valente Bellozo for a 399-foot (108.3 mph EV) game-winning blast. Bogaerts finished the day 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and is now slashing .241/.281/.389 with two homers and eight RBI on the season.

Bogaerts had been 4-for-32 coming into this one, including 0-for-8 in the first two games of the series. These were his first games back in Boston since he left as a free agent, as he was injured when the Padres visited in 2024.

Laureano gets an opportunity to bat towards the top of the order with Red Sox young southpaw Connelly Early taking the ball at Fenway Park. Xander Bogaerts, who has typically batted second, has been dropped to fifth against his former club. The 31-year-old is off to an encouraging start, hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers, four RBI and one steal through six games. A quick glance under the hood reveals a robust 49.1 percent hard-hit rate and 13.8 percent barrel percentage.

Bogaerts scalded a 410-foot double against Mariners starter Luis Castillo, which left his bat at 111.4 mph. The 33-year-old veteran middle infielder posted a career-high 20 steals last year in just 136 games but managed just 11 round-trippers during that span. It doesn’t seem outlandish to suggest a 15-homer, 15-steal season is possible, which would make him extremely impactful in deeper mixed leagues.

The 27-year-old superstar hid predominantly out of the leadoff spot in the Padres’ lineup in 2025, so this could be an interesting change. It’s definitely a situation to monitor. If it sticks heading into the season, it would certainly increase his RBI output while dinging his projection in runs slightly. Xander Bogaerts is batting out of the leadoff spot in his place on Friday.

Iglesias and Xander Bogaerts were also fined an undisclosed amount. The incident followed a controversial ninth-inning strike call from D.J. Reyburn on a 3-2 pitch to Bogaerts that appeared to be below the zone. The Padres went on to lose the series-ending game and directed some anger the umpiring crew’s way afterwards. Iglesias, who is set to become a free agent, will sit on Opening Day unless he successfully appeals.