$280M Padres star’s defensive blunder sparks calls for demotion

The Sam Diego Padres no longer hold the best record in baseball, nor are they the National League West leaders anymore after their third successive defeat on Saturday.

While the Padres finally got off the mark in the scoreboard after being shut down in the last two games, it wasn't enough for the NL West team in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of the series.

If the offensive slump wasn't enough to frustrate fans, star shortstop Xander Bogaerts made a glaring defensive blunder to draw the ire of the Padres faithful. Bogaerts, who signed a $280 million contract in 2022, made a mess of a routine fly ball from Junior Caminero in the third inning, allowing the Rays third baseman a base hit.

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Fan expressed their frustration on social media, with many asking for the Padres shortstop's demotion.

"What in the FU** is he doing. This is getting ridiculous and he clearly needs a week in El Paso at minimum," wrote a fan.

"I’m done with this has been! Eat his Contract, and get him the HELL outta here!!!"

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"Mike Shildt needs to do what’s best and let him see the bench for a bit," wrote another disgruntled fan.

Several others pointed to the Padres star's contract with the franchise.

"Lol worst contract ever, dude is beyond garbage now. I got say Boston was smart by letting him go when they did (even though everyone at the time thought the opposite) they could smell his decline,"wrote a fan.

"Nonsense, this is what happens with long-term guaranteed contracts."

"Lmaooo and then they made fun of the RedSox for not giving him $300ms"

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Padres manager issues rallying cry after third successive loss

The Padres, despite injuries to several arms in the rotation, were the team to beat heading into this week. However, the loss of players seems to be catching up with the team, as they lost three games on the trot for the first time this season.

Padres manager Mike Shildt shared his thoughts on Saturday's loss, rallying his troops with words of encouragement.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us,” Mike Shildt said. “Nobody at all. And we’re not going to feel sorry for us. We haven’t and we won’t. It’s a chin-up, figure-it-out clubhouse and I feel the same way We’re more than capable of being able to … put it together.”

The 4-1 loss on Saturday dethroned them from the top spot in a highly competitive NL West. The San Francisco Giants moved to the top with an 18-10 record, while the Padres and the Dodgers are tied on 17-10 for the season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash