Padres' Jose Iglesias Suspended, Fined for Conduct Toward Umpires After Loss to Cubs

San Diego Padres infielder Jose Iglesias was disciplined by Major League Baseball for his actions toward umpires after the Padres' Game 3 loss to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Wild Card Series.

According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Iglesias received a one-game suspension and was fined an undisclosed amount. Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts was also fined.

After the Cubs beat the Padres 3-1 in Game 3 of the NLWS to eliminated San Diego from the postseason, a viral video made the rounds on social media, showing multiple people in the Padres dugout shouting at the umps as they left the field:

Assuming there is no appeal, Iglesias will presumably serve his suspension during the first game of the 2026 MLB regular season should he land with a team.

During the ninth inning of San Diego's Game 3 loss to Chicago, Bogaerts was punched out on a called strike three, and it appeared as though the pitch should have been called a ball:

That would have put Bogaerts on base with a walk and potentially started a no-out rally that could have helped the Padres overcome a 3-1 deficit.

Instead, Bogaerts was called out on a ball that was below the strike zone, and after the next two batters got on base after getting hit by pitches, Andrew Kittredge relieved Brad Keller and got the final two outs to preserve the Cubs' win.

Bogaerts was incredulous after the strikeout and voiced his displeasure with the umpire. That continued after the game when he said the following to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (h/t ESPN):

"Talk about it now: What do you want me to do? It's a ball. Messed up the whole game, you know? I mean, can't go back in time, and talking about it now won't change anything. So it was bad, and thank God for ABS next year because this is terrible."

As Bogaerts referenced, a challenge system will be implemented for balls and strikes at the MLB level next season with each team getting two challenges per game. For every successful challenge, the challenge will be retained, whereas a team will lose a challenge if unsuccessful.

Barring a trade, Bogaerts will be back with the Padres next season, but Iglesias' future is far less clear.

The 35-year-old veteran just completed his 13th MLB season, playing for his eighth different team.

Iglesias signed a minor-league contract with the Padres last offseason and ended up making the Opening Day roster. Appearing in 112 games, he slashed .229/.298/.294 with three home runs, 36 RBI, 29 runs scored and five stolen bases, while primarily seeing action at second base, shortstop and third base.

His performance was a far cry from what he did the previous season with the New York Mets. In addition to being a beloved leader thanks to his upbeat personality, Iglesias delivered on the field, slashing .337/.381/.448 with four homers, 26 RBI, 39 runs and six steals.

Iglesias, who earned the only All-Star selection of his career with the Detroit Tigers in 2015, will be a free agent this coming offseason.

There is no guarantee he will return to the Padres or land elsewhere, but given his history of playing strong defense at multiple positions and batting .279 for his career, there is at least a chance Iglesias will continue playing in 2026.