Padres get a pair of promising injury updates on Xander Bogaerts and slugging catcher

After their most recent hot streak, the San Diego Padres find themselves six games above .500 and firmly in contention for a playoff spot. There is already tons of chatter about AJ Preller being aggressive at the trade deadline, with a potential trade for Garrett Crochet being the sexiest option floated so far.

However, one thing that the Padres need to do first is get healthy or, at minimum, understand exactly how long some of their stars are going to be out. While Fernando Tatis Jr. could be out for a while as the team gains a better understanding of his injury, Padres fans did get a pair of promising injury updates on two of their injured position players over the weekend.

Padres News: Xander Bogaerts to get follow-up scans Monday, could return before All-Star break

Bogaerts has been out since May after fracturing his shoulder on a freak play against the Braves. Given that such injuries don't have a lot of data points in the game of baseball, it was unclear how long Bogaerts would need before he could return to action. However, a couple of recent developments have provided some clarity.

After taking batting practice and that going well, Bogaerts is now set to get some follow-up scans to see how his shoulder is healing. Assuming those scans go well, Bogaerts will officially be well ahead of schedule, and returning before the All-Star break will remain on the table. San Diego may opt to keep him out until after the break to be safe, but everything is trending up for Bogaerts at the moment.

Padres News: Luis Campusano to begin rehab assignment this week

Since the last week of June, catcher Luis Campusano has been out while dealing with a thumb issue. The Padres have made things work with Kyle Higashioka getting the bulk of the reps at catcher, but getting Campusano back and healthy is going to be key to keeping Higgy fresh in the second half. A return will also, of course, facilitate Campusano's continued development as a big-league hitter.

Fortunately, there is good news there as well, as Campusano is starting his rehab assignment in the minor leagues this week. He won't be ready to return from the IL the day he is eligible, but coming back sometime after the July 4th holiday weekend is very much in the cards. One just hopes that he hits a bit better than he did before getting hurt in the first place.

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