Padres fans are freaking out because Xander Bogaerts' injury resembles Trevor Story's

San Diego Padres infielder Xander Bogaerts left Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves after diving for a ball. Bogaerts left his feet, stabbed the ball with his glove, and hit the turf. It was a spectacular grab by the Friars second baseman, but Bogaerts couldn't complete the play.

Bogaerts was wincing and in obvious pain. The 30-year-old flipped the ball to shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and the umpiring crew stopped the game to allow for Bogaerts to be evaluated by the Padres medical staff. Manager Mike Shildt had no choice by to remove Bogaerts from the game and replace him with Tyler Wade.

Shildt spoke to reporters after the game and said that the initial imaging is negative. But that's of little comfort to the the Friar faithful who've since seen footage of Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story injuring his shoulder on a similar play earlier this season.

Padres fans are freaking out because Xander Bogaerts' injury looks a lot like Trevor Story's

Objectively speaking, there are a lot of similarities between the play that Story was involved Story earlier in the season and the one that took Bogaerts out of the game on Monday. Pads fans are right to be concerned.

While Bogaerts' bat has been a bit of a letdown this season, his defense has been among the best on the team. Bogaerts is worth 4 outs above average (OAA) according to Baseball Savant, which places him among the 94th percentile. While Luis Arráez has plenty of experience at second base, his defense is among the worst in the league.

Bogaerts had been hitting better of late as well. The veteran posted a slash line of .320/.308/.560 over his last seven games and hit two home runs during that span. Even when he's struggling, Bogaerts is not a bat you can easily replace.

The hope, of course, is that the initial imaging is correct and that the injury itself is minor. Story suffered a fractured glenoid and had to undergo surgery. He'll miss the rest of the 2024 season. Right now, Bogaerts has avoided that fate, but they'll be waiting with bated breath for further test results.

More San Diego Padres News from Friars on Base