Boston Red Sox: Xander Bogaerts X-Rays on Hand Negative
By Nick Fustor
Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts exited a game against the Tampa Bay Rays early on Thursday after being hit in the right hand by a pitch from Rays starter Jacob Faria.
The Boston Red Sox lineup could be in for a shakeup after shorstop Xander Bogaerts was hit by a pitch on his right hand by Tampa Bay starter Jacob Faria. Bogaerts was hit by a 92 mph fastball with a runner on first and one out.
Bogaerts was able to stay in the game and run the bases before exiting the game following the conclusion of the inning.
The Red Sox said Bogaerts has a bruised right hand and x-rays came back negative, per Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald. Bogaerts will be day-to-day for the time being, but the news comes as a massive relief for the Red Sox lineup.
The 24-year-old is enjoying another impressive season at the plate, as he continues to establish himself as one of the best contact hitters in the game. In 341 plate appearances, Bogaerts is hitting .308 with a .816 OPS and six homers. He’s cooled off in recent weeks, as his average has hovered in the .320s for most of the season. Bogaerts is also contributing in the field – an area he’s been criticized for in the past – with a 2.9 UZR/150.
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The injury came on a tough day for Bogaerts, who missed out on the final spot on the American League All-Star team to Mike Moustakas of the Kansas City Royals. Bogaerts was announced as the winner of the Twitter vote for the spot, but he couldn’t surpass the 15.6 million votes Moustakas received.
No official vote counts were released, but Silverman noted that Bogaerts tallied more than Texas Rangers shorstop Elvis Andrus, New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius and Rays first baseman Logan Morrison. The Red Sox will send outfielder Mookie Betts, starter Chris Sale and closer Craig Kimbrel to Miami to participate in the All-Star Game – with Betts starting in the outfield.
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If Bogaerts is out for a couple games, expect Tzu-Wei Lin to take over at short while Deven Marrero continues to play third base. Lin is proving to be a solid backup infielder while Marrero has slowly raised his average as he continues to receive regular reps at third base.