The San Diego Padres couldn’t have timed it any better. Fresh off clinching their fourth postseason appearance in the last six years, the club got word that one of their key veterans is ready to return. For a team that has battled inconsistency in stretches and leaned heavily on its midseason reinforcements to keep the offense afloat, getting Xander Bogaerts back at this stage feels like the final piece of the puzzle sliding into place.
The timing of Bogaerts’ return also carries symbolic weight. The 2025 Padres have been defined by resilience, from weathering a rash of injuries to going toe-to-toe with pesky division rivals that have refused to go away in the NL West chase.