Why Won't Padres' Xander Bogaerts Move Back to Shortstop After Ha-Seong Kim Injury?

Kim, the Padres' shortstop, won't be replaced by the man he replaced while on the IL.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim landed on the injured list for the first time in his career this week after jamming his shoulder. With Kim out, the Padres surprisingly utilized Tyler Wade at shortstop, rather than bringing Xander Bogaerts back to the position.

While Bogaerts was originally a shortstop, he made the transition to second base before the season so that Kim could play shortstop. The move did not come easy for Bogaerts, who does not want to "flip flop" between the two positions.

“I made a big choice in spring training, and I think everyone should respect that,” Bogaerts said, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I mean, I did it for the team. I moved. And it (would be) asking a lot for me to just keep playing back and forth."

Though Bogaerts will primarily stay at second base, he has at least talked with Padres manager Mike Shildt about the possibility of spending some time at shortstop. He will not return to playing shortstop full-time, but could come in for Wade late in games if the Padres have a narrow lead over the opposing team.

“We talked about the situations and the possibilities of me going there, what the scenarios may have to be,” Bogaerts said. “And tonight was one of those.”

“I do know every game matters. Every game is important," Bogaerts added, via Acee. "But, man, I mean, early on in the season, I wasn’t even feeling right playing at second. Every day, I had something different in my hips. And finally I feel good … It’s easy to say, ‘Hey, just move. Just flip flop.’ But it’s a little harder for me playing one position and then moving to another one this year, and you start feeling really good there.”

Wade will now seeing increasing time on the field, and at shortstop with the injury to Kim. Wade is .231/.306/.248 with 28 hits, 24 runs, and eight RBIs this season. He has helped fill in for injuries throughout the season, including replacing Manny Machado at third base when Machado was injured earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, Bogaerts will continue playing primarily second base, where he has grown more comfortable throughout the season. Bogaerts is hitting .274 with six home runs and 28 RBIs.

The Padres signed Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract in Dec. 2022.