On August 27, Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts sustained a fractured left foot during the series finale on the road against the Seattle Mariners, prompting a stint on the injured list for the 32-year-old.
The injury put manager Mike Shildt at a crossroads: he had plenty of options to replace Bogaerts for the short term, which included moving Fernando Tatis Jr. The now — right fielder actually came up through the minor leagues and played two years in the bigs as a shortstop, but moved to right field permanently in 2023 to avoid lingering shoulder subluxations. On top of that, Tatis has been elite defensively in the outfield, and it would be a mistake to fix something that was never broken.