The San Diego Padres have made a roster move ahead of the second game of their series with the Cincinnati Reds.
Star infielder Xander Bogaerts is heading to the Paternity List. In a corresponding move, the Padres have recalled infielder Will Wagner from Triple-A.
In the minor leagues this season, Wagner has hit .255 with three home runs and 12 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .763.
With Bogaerts out for likely a few games, the Padres will need to generate offense from somewhere else. The veteran had been good for San Diego this season, hitting .231 with eight home runs and 27 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .659.
As for Wagner, this will be the first time that he'll play in the major leagues this season. Wagner played in 15 games for San Diego last season at the end of the year, but he didn't contribute much.
In the limited time, Wagner hit .133 with two hits and two walks, putting up an OPS of .368. Wagner came to the Padres in a midseason trade from the Toronto Blue Jays last year that sent catcher Brandon Valenzuela out of town - a move that doesn't look so good in hindsight.
The Padres will hope that Wagner can perform better than he did last year, even if he's only with the club for a few games. The infielder has seen success at the big league level before, coming in his rookie year with Toronto.
Over 24 games for Toronto in 2024, Wagner hit .305 with two home runs and 11 runs batted in, while generating an OPS of .788.
The Padres have been trying to navigate an inconsistent offense all season long, so anything that can spark something will be helpful. Multiple key players for the Padres have struggled at the plate this year, leading to the poor offensive production.
San Diego has been tweaking lineups and calling up other players to see what may work, but nothing has stuck yet.
The Padres are currently 7.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West division and tied for the third and final wild-card spot. This team can't afford to keep dropping games in chunks, so the hope is that something will click for them offensively sooner rather than later.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/padres/onsi as Padres' Xander Bogaerts Leaves Team, 27-Year-Old Promoted .
