Just in time for the regular season's final week, the San Diego Padres appear to be getting an important piece of their puzzle back in the lineup.

When the Padres start a three-game home series Monday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Padres expect to have veteran Xander Bogaerts return at shortstop.

Bogaerts has been idle since Aug. 27 when he fractured his left foot after fouling off a pitch in Seattle. But manager Mike Shildt said Bogaerts looks ready to return after playing in a pair of minor league games at the team's complex in Peoria, Ariz.

"He's a guy that we do rely on," Shildt said of Bogaerts. "He's a guy that's been out for a while. But you're talking about a guy who's been a mainstay in our lineup for the last couple of years. He has two world championships under his

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