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FORT MYERS, Fla. - One year after switching teams, Xander Bogaerts is making another change.
New Padres manager Mike Shildt announced to the media Friday that San Diego plans to start Bogaerts at second base, with Ha-Seong Kim serving as the team’s starting shortstop.
It will mark the first time in Bogaerts’ professional career he will be playing second, having served as a shortstop in 1,338 games, while totaling 53 games at third while with the 2013 and ’14 Red Sox.
The 31-year-old made all but nine of his appearances last season with the Padres at shortstop, serving as the designated hitter in the other nine.
“Xander is partnering with the team, he’s going to go to second base and Kimmy is going to play shortstop,” Shildt told reporters. “My admiration for Xander went through the roof with this transition. I can’t say it’s etched in stone 100 percent. We’re going to let him do it, see what it looks like and evaluate it. But he’s all-in right now to go over and give it it’s full due. My admiration to be a good teammate and recognize we have an elite defender in Kimmy, who won a Gold Glove, to go back and play shortstop. I just admire him and think it’s very impressive. And it speaks a lot for him being team-first. It says a lot about him and is impressive.”
Bogaerts has improved over the past two seasons at shortstop, ranking in the 81st percentile of fielders with three outs above average one year after managing five. In 2021 with the Red Sox, he clocked in at minus-11.
Kim, however, is considered a superb defender, finishing 2023 with nine outs above average while winning the National League Gold Glove for his work at second base. He did play 20 games at shortstop last season after serving as the Padres’ primary shortstop the year before.
Bogaerts is in the second season of an 11-year, $280 million deal and his scheduled to make $25 million in 2024. He finished his initial campaign with the Padres hitting .285 with a .790 OPS and 19 homers, totaling a 4.4 WAR.