Xander Bogaerts put together a 3-WAR season in 2025, although it was a tale of two halves. A key double on June 19th seemingly turned around the remainder of Bogaerts’ season at the plate.

Expectations for Xander Bogaerts varied significantly coming into the 2025 season. Now in his third year with the club, there were two main perspectives on Bogaerts. On one hand, he was a below-average hitter in 2024 who was also pushing into his thirties. On the other hand, he’s the man who received a $280 million contract just two years ago.

In his 2025 campaign, Bogaerts was marginally better as a hitter than he was the year prior. However, a return to his familiar spot at shortstop fostered a major improvement in the field. Defensively, he ranked as the seventh-most valuable shortstop in the MLB, per FanGraphs. Per Baseball Savant, it was the best defensive season of his 13-year career, measured by Run Value.

Sluggish first two months

For the first two months of the season, Bogaerts failed to improve from his lackluster 2024 form. Despite a healthy offseason, Spring Training, and start to his year, he never took the next step towards looking like an elite hitter again. He was a main culprit of the Padres’ greater issue of lacking power production. Bogaerts took 29 games to hit his first home run, slugging well below .400 in that span. In April and May, Bogaerts failed to accumulate an average above .250, a slugging percentage above .350, or an OPS above .650.

The outlook for the Padres’ veteran shortstop was bleak heading into the summer months. Questions began to arise around the Padres’ return on investment regarding Bogaerts’ $280 million contract. His ability to play above-average defense at the premier position of shortstop was a lone bright spot from his everyday role in the lineup. Instead of a potential resurgence, eyes turned to the Padres (former) prized shortstop prospect, Leo De Vries. It seemed like only a matter of years until De Vries would hypothetically relieve Bogaerts of his playing duties, at least at shortstop.

The turning point

Bogaerts entered a pivotal series against the Dodgers with just a .231 batting average and suboptimal .624 OPS. After starting the series 1-8, Bogaerts stepped up in a critical situation with runners on first and second base, while down a run in the top of the ninth inning. With the expectations of many pointing towards Bogaerts failing to come through, he did otherwise. Bogaerts smacked a game-tying double at 112 MPH, and in that moment, flipped the script of his season.

The next day, Bogaerts collected three hits against the recently named World Series MVP, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He homered off his patented splitter and doubled against a fastball later in the contest. He finished 4/4 with three runs scored and an RBI, leading the Padres to their lone win of the series. He proceeded to collect six more hits in the Padres following series against the Royals, and was off and rolling. He finished June with a .290 average, and maintained pace with a .295 average in the following month of July.

Xander Bogaerts HOME RUN ?

101.9 EV. 29 LA. 401 Feet. WE ARE SO BACK
pic.twitter.com/RIq9LVr1eM

— Jas ? (@BogaertsBeliver) June 20, 2025

Late-season injury

As the Padres eyed the Postseason— and potentially even the division title— they took a blow with the loss of Bogaerts. After fouling a ball off his foot in Seattle, Bogaerts suffered a fracture in his left foot. Initial reports suggested that his season may have concluded as a result of the fracture. However, Bogaerts’ recovery proceeded quickly than anticipated, and he returned in time for a weeklong tune-up ahead of the Postseason.

Xander Bogaerts homers for the 2nd-straight night to make it a one-run game in the desert ? pic.twitter.com/6IgUlWDMtd

— MLB (@MLB) August 7, 2025

After a productive end to his regular season, Bogaerts headed into his seventh MLB Postseason in good condition. The end-of-season games proved valuable, as Bogaerts collected a hit in each of the three games. He specifically provided a spark in Game 1 in Chicago, driving a go-ahead double to the gap in the second inning. Although San Diego couldn’t capitalize on his efforts and win the series, Bogaerts was one of the few positives in the series.

Conclusion

With his two very different halves in the books, Bogaerts ended up an above-average hitter, per wRC+. However, his biggest accomplishment was landing in the 87th percentile of all defenders in Fielding Run Value. Everything considered, it’s hard not to be pleased with a veteran shortstop hitting and defending above average if you’re a GM. Although the raw production wasn’t exactly what you’d expect from a player with a $280 million contract, it was acceptable. Bogaerts stayed the course all season and put his stamp on numerous contests throughout the year,in a variety of ways

Willy Warren

A 17-year-old San Diego native, Willy Warren is a baseball fan at heart who created High Leverage Baseball, a public baseball media account covering around-the-league statistical analysis and breakdowns on X. Willy is set to attend the Cronkite School of Journalism in the fall of 2026 at Arizona State University, where he’ll pursue a major in sports journalism.