San Diego Padres star Xander Bogaerts exited Wednesday's series finale loss to the New York Mets early, seemingly because of a hamstring injury.
Bogaerts was replaced by infielder Sung-Mun Song at shortstop after he grimaced and grabbed his right hamstring after a swing in the top of the seventh inning.
Padres star Xander Bogaerts left the series finale against the Mets early because of an apparent hamstring injury. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Bogaerts was 1-for-2 with a double before leaving the game. The Padres haven't relayed any details on Bogaerts' departure, though an injury would evidently be bad news for a hot San Diego squad.
The All-Star has struggled in 2026, hitting just .220 with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs and a OPS of .649. Though, he's shown improvement this month with a .787 OPS in 64 plate appearances.
If Bogaerts does miss time or require an injured list stint, the Padres would likely replace him with Song. The team signed the KBO infielder to a four-year, $15 million deal in the offseason.
Manager Craig Stammen could also shift the infield's defensive alignment by moving Jake Cronenworth to shortstop, which gives San Diego multiple candidates to replace him at second.
If the playoffs began today, the Padres hold a National League wild-card spot. But San Diego will have to continue climbing the NL standings in order to retain a postseason spot.
Xander Bogaerts has struggled throughout the 2026 season, but has made improvements in August. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Padres could replace Xander Bogaerts with Sung-Mun Song at shortstop if the All-Star has to miss time. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
The Arizona Diamondbacks are only 1.5 games behind in the wild-card race, which could change with a win over the Boston Red Sox Wednesday.
Though the Padres had a wild win Tuesday thanks to Fernando Tatis Jr.'s heroics , the series finale at Citi Field came to a frustrating conclusion. Aside from Bogaerts' early exit, the Padres finished 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
