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Xander Bogaerts is participating in the World Baseball Classic, but he's not playing for Team USA. Instead, he is representing his home country of the Netherlands. The star shortstop, who just signed a massive contract with the San Diego Padres, figures to be the Netherlands' everyday shortstop throughout the tournament.
Cuba and the Netherlands are poised to kick off the tournament at 7 pm EST. That's when the first matchup of the WBC will commence, kickstarting a few weeks of nonstop international baseball.
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With the game set to occur in a few hours, is Xander Bogaerts going to play?
Though the lineups have not been set just yet, it is expected that in Cuba vs. the Netherlands, Bogaerts will play. He's not injured and there aren't many players (if any) better than him on the roster.
The Netherlands need to get off to a good start this WBC because they're not pegged to be contenders. They'll need this win if they want to advance out of Group Play.
That means they'll need all hands on deck and that includes Xander Bogaerts. The star shortstop will carry a lot of the load for the Netherlands and that begins tonight.
Where will Xander Bogaerts play for the San Diego Padres?
Ordinarily, a star shortstop signing with a new team, especially for 11 years and $280 million, brings no questions about where he will play. However, most teams that sign a star shortstop don't already have one.
The Padres enjoy the services of Fernando Tatis Jr. when he's not suspended, which he currently is for the first portion of the 2023 regular season. When he gets back, the team will have two All-Star shortstops.
Given Tatis' defensive issues, Bogaerts will be the shortstop. The Padres were already working Tatis into the outfield before they signed Bogaerts, so Tatis will move over for the former Boston Red Sox star.
That doesn't mean Tatis is done at shortstop, though. On a day off for Bogaerts, or a day when he plays designated hitter, Tatis can easily slide in and give him some rest.
