Xander Bogaerts: Are Wrists Failing Him?
Nothing good ever comes from these decade-long contracts. The San Diego Padres might already be regretting the one they handed Xander Bogaerts this offseason. Bogaerts is still a fantastic player but his body is or has started to fail him.
Bogaerts, 30, received a cortisone shot in his wrist right after the final game before the All-Star break. During the break, Bogaerts isn’t even going to pick up a bat to give his wrist the most rest possible.
Xander Bogaerts said he probably won’t hold a bat over the break.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) July 9, 2023
The hope is rest (and the cortisone shot he just received after the game) brings a more comfortable and productive second half.
Bogaerts, 30, got off to a hot start in his first season in San Diego. Through April, Bogaerts hit .308 with an OPS+ of 152. It’s been pretty much downhill since and the wrists have started barking. Bogaerts hasn’t missed much time but he’s clearly fatigued as his overall numbers have dipped to an average of .253 which would be his worst season since 2014.
What people on the outside never understand is that his wrists were always the super power. When Dennis Eckersley called games for the Red Sox, he always referred to Bogaerts as “Gumby”. Bogaerts was the best check swing artist on the planet. Bogaerts went eight straight years in Boston with a strikeout rate of less than 19%. Just borderline absurd.
Bogaerts is the best shortstop in Red Sox history. He’s a three time champion and should be inducted into the Hall of Fame at some point. Boston fans have a right to be angry over the way Bogaerts left because we’re talking about a guy that took hometown discount after hometown discount. He would have taken another one too if they didn’t disrespect him this time around.
I think I can speak for everyone in saying that we all hope Bogaerts is okay and is able to play for a long time. However, these wrist issues have struck Bogaerts before and it’s probably not something that’s going to age well. Given where the Padres are in the standings, maybe it’s best to shut Bogie down for the season and try to find ways to take a long-term approach toward fixing whatever is going on with his wrists. For a guy on an 11-year contract, is this really something you want to keep shoving cortisone shots in? It’s something to monitor moving forward.
