Bogaerts makes a spring cameo at shortstop

PEORIA, Ariz. -- For one afternoon at least, Xander Bogaerts was back at shortstop.

Yes, the move was temporary, Padres manager Mike Shildt said. With shortstop Ha-Seong Kim getting the day off as the Padres fell, 6-2, on Wednesday afternoon against a Reds split squad, Bogaerts returned to the position where he spent most of the first 11 seasons of his career.

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“He is going to slide over and play short when Kimmy needs a day,” Shildt said. “It’s a great opportunity for him to go over and do just that today.”

Shildt played coy when asked about Kim’s absence from the lineup, though it was later revealed that Kim is dealing with what the team believes is a minor back issue. Kim could return to the lineup Friday night, after a team off-day on Thursday.

Bogaerts didn’t get much action in Kim’s absence. He snared a liner in the first inning and helped turn a smooth 3-6-1 double play in the third but was otherwise untested.

It was earlier this spring, of course, that the Padres made the decision to flip Kim and Bogaerts in their infield, moving Kim to short and Bogaerts to second.

Bogaerts has never played a professional inning at second base in the regular season, and he hasn’t been tested much there in Cactus League play. But given his skill set, the Padres anticipate a smooth transition.

In any case, the alignment Wednesday cleared up one question: The Padres have a roster full of former shortstops -- Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth and potentially even Jackson Merrill. So who is Kim’s backup?

“[Bogaerts] is the backup shortstop,” Shildt said. “And a pretty good one, by the way.”