Padres pregame: Xander Bogaerts placed on IL with shoulder fracture; David Peralta called up

The Padres will be without Xander Bogaerts for at least two months, as tests revealed a fracture in his left shoulder and he was placed on the injured list Wednesday.

“I’ll be back,” Bogaerts said. “I’m a quick healer.”

The Padres called up veteran David Peralta, who they signed last week. Peralta will primarily serve as a left-handed bat off the bench and possibly give Jurickson Profar or Fernando Tatis Jr. days off in the outfield.

Peralta is in Wednesday’s lineup, batting sixth and playing left field. Profar will be the designated hitter.

Manny Machado is back in the No. 5 hole and at third base; Tyler Wade will get the start at shortstop over Ha-Seong Kim as the No. 9 batter.

Luis Arraez is at second base Wednesday and could play there more but could also play first with Jake Cronenworth moving to second base in place of Bogaerts, who was injured diving for a ball on Monday in Atlanta.

“I remember what I heard — like a couple cracks,” Bogaerts said. “I didn’t feel anything come out and then go back in. The only thing I remember hearing was a couple cracks.”

Bogaerts had recently pulled out of what had practically been a season-long slump. He was 8-for-24 with two home runs in the six games leading up to Monday, raising his batting average 16 points to .220 (before going 0-for-1 Monday to drop back to .219).

“It’s been a weird year,” Bogaerts said. “But I still have a chance to come back and be a part of something special. It’s better than not being able to come back.”

X-rays done in Atlanta on Monday gave the Padres hope Bogaerts could avoid an IL trip. But an MRI in Atlanta revealed the extent of the damage. It is not uncommon for imaging done day or two later to provide a clearer diagnosis.

Bogaerts is scheduled to undergo more tests (a CT scan) Wednesday to make sure there is no labrum tear and determine with certainty the severity of the fracture.

As of now, the Padres believe the fracture in his shoulder socket does not require surgery and have set his timetable for a return at two to three months.

“Two to three months, no,” Bogaerts said. “Nah, nah. I understand we want to be smart, but I’ll be back before that. I don’t like the sound of all those months.”

To make room on the active roster for Peralta, the Padres transferred right-hander Luis Patiño (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day injured list.

Peralta signed a minor-league deal with the Padres on May 18 and was 2-for-11 with two walks and five strikeouts in three games with Triple-A El Paso before Bogaerts’ injury opened up a need in the majors.

Peralta began the year playing for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, where he was hitting .217/.341/.348 with two homers in 20 games when he opted out of his contract on May 13.

He got off to a late start, too, after undergoing offseason flexor tendon surgery on his left elbow.

Peralta hit .259/.294/.381 with seven homers and 55 RBIs in 133 games with the Dodgers last year. He is a veteran of 10 years in the majors and is a .289/.343/.474 hitter in his career against righties, compared to .241/.303/.361 against lefties.

“I knew when I had the surgery in the offseason (that) this year was going to be really tough,” Peralta said. “And it’s been really tough for me trying to find my comeback to the big leagues. I’ve been grinding and doing my best and prove to everyone that I’m healthy. I really appreciate and am really grateful that San Diego and took that and they said, ‘Hey David, we need your help.’ And I’m here to help the team win.”

Peralta began his career with the Diamondbacks and played in Arizona for 8½ seasons before being sent to the Rays at the trade deadline in 2022. He has hit .300 with an .832 OPS and 12 home runs in 437 plate appearances against the Padres.

“I’m glad I’m on this side,” he said. “I’m expecting to do the same thing. … I’ve been facing this team for a long time. They have a lot of talent here. It feels like I’ve been competing with this team for a long time, but it’s my first day. I know they’re inches away and they want to win.”

Peralta is 1-for-8 with a double and a strikeout in his career against Reds right-hander Nick Martinez.

Here is how the Reds will line up Wednesday:

Wednesday’s pitching matchup

Padres RHP Michael King (3-4, 4.31 ERA)

His 11 home runs allowed are the most in baseball and his six runs allowed in his last start was a season high. King has only faced the Reds as a reliever, throwing four scoreless innings over three appearances, including two shutout innings last year at Great American Ball Park.

Here is how King has fared against current Reds:

(Baseball-reference.com)

Reds RHP Nick Martinez (1-2, 4.23 ERA)

The 33-year-old has a 6.86 ERA in 21 innings in the rotation and a 1.04 ERA in 17⅓ innings as a reliever, which includes beating the Dodgers over the weekend with four strikeouts over five shutout innings in relief in Los Angeles. Martinez allowed five runs (three earned) in five innings in a loss to his former team last month at Petco Park.

Here is how Martinez has fared against current Padres:

(Baseball-reference.com)

Staff writer Jeff Sanders contributed to this report.