Xander Bogaerts returns to the San Diego Padres starting lineup after an injury scare

Xander Bogaerts will start at shortstop and bat sixth for the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday night, the team announced.

Bogaerts struggled with hamstring cramps on Sunday, knocking him out of Game 2 in the eighth inning. He apparently suffered the injury on a foul ball upfield just before he blasted a solo home run off right-hander Michael Grove.

After the Padres' 10-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that night, Bogaerts appeared to be in good spirits about his illness.

“Base operations have been great,” Bogaerts told reporters. “I didn’t have to apply any pressure and hit another groundball to second.”

Bogaerts is 3-of-8 with three RBI so far in the NLDS. He went 0-7 in the Padres' victory over the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card Series.

Bogaerts, 32, is coming off his worst regular season since his rookie year with the Boston Red Sox in 2014. He hit .264 with 11 home runs, 44 RBI, 13 stolen bases, an OPS of .688 and a WAR of 1.2 in 111 games.

Bogaerts began 2024 as the Padres' second baseman, but moved back to shortstop shortly after Ha-Seong Kim suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in August. Bogaerts missed over seven weeks with a shoulder injury he sustained earlier this year.

Despite all of his recent struggles, Bogaerts has two World Series rings to his credit. He was a .299 hitter with an .835 OPS between 2015 and 2022, making four All-Star appearances and winning five Silver Sluggers before the Padres signed him to an 11-year, $280 million contract Red Sox pushed away.

Bogaerts' postseason experience could prove crucial for San Diego, which is tied 1-1 in a heated best-of-five series with Los Angeles.

Here is the full starting lineup the Padres will face the Dodgers on Tuesday night:

1. Luis Arraez, 1B
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Jurickson Profar, LF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
7. David Peralta, DH
8. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
9. Kyle Higashioka, C
SP: Michael King, RHP

First pitch from Petco Park is scheduled for 9:08 p.m. ET.

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