There is a new shortstop in town for the San Diego Padres.
The team forked over $280 million to sign former Boston Red Sox infielder Xander Bogaerts this offseason.
He will be the team’s starting shortstop.
Fernando Tatis Jr. will man right field, together with Adam Engel and Matt Carpenter.
It will be Tatis there most nights, though.
That will push one of the stars of the team, Juan Soto, to the other side.
“Bob Melvin said Soto will play left field this year. Soto has played right throughout his career, but Pads OF mix suggested he might need to move around. Melvin said they’ll keep him in LF. ‘His preparation is pretty epic. He would like to be able to prepare for one position,’” MLB insider Chelsea Janes tweeted, with the Padres manager’s quotes about the situation.
Bob Melvin said Soto will play left field this year. Soto has played right throughout his career, but Pads OF mix suggested he might need to move around. Melvin said they’ll keep him in LF.
“His preparation is pretty epic. He would like to be able to prepare for one position.”
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 14, 2023
Soto is no stranger to left field.
He played mostly there from the moment he was called up in 2018 until 2020.
He didn’t actually win the award, but he had MVP-caliber seasons in 2019 and 2020 while playing left.
Perhaps the Padres can hope for some of that luck this season.
Even in a down year, Soto was able to hit 27 homers and finish with a .853 OPS.
If you want to know what he can do at his best, just take a look at his .950 career OPS and you won’t have any doubts about his ability.
This is a guy who has had 1.000 OPS seasons.
Soto is perhaps the X-factor in the Padres’ quest for the World Series.
If he is himself again in 2023, it won’t be easy to stop this lineup.
NEXT: Juan Soto Comments On Adapting His Signature Move
