The San Diego Padres are already dealing with Xander Bogaerts’ foot injury, and now face another injury scare to his replacement, Jose Iglesias.
However, it seems that the team may have escaped the worst-case scenario with Iglesias, who was hit by a pitch on his left hand during Tuesday’s matchup with the Cincinnati Reds. Per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Iglesias provided a positive update on his hand following X-rays.
“It’s not broken,” Iglesias assured. “The x-rays were negative. Just a contusion, but there is some swelling in there for sure but not a big deal. We should be fine.”
Iglesias has been stepping in for the injured Bogaerts as the Padres continue their push towards the postseason. Unfortunately for the Padres, Iglesias hasn’t provided much at the plate in Bogaerts’ absence, hitting just .178 since Bogaerts went down.
On the season, Bogaerts is hitting .262 with 10 home runs and a .717 OPS. His numbers are down from his typical production, and he’s in the third season of a massive 11-year deal he signed with San Diego before the 2023 season. Nonetheless, Bogaerts is nearing a return, and he should help boost the Padres lineup at a time where they’ll need it the most. At 80-67, the Padres are 2.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West lead, and are currently comfortably in the second Wild Card spot in the NL.