The 19-5 Boston Red Sox are about to get one of their best hitters back on Friday night. Xander Bogaerts, who has been out since April 9 with an ankle injury, has been activated from the 10-day disabled list and is set to make his return to the Red Sox lineup Friday night against the Rays.
The timing could not be better for the Red Sox, having just come back from a long road trip during which super utilityman, Brock Holt, sustained a hamstring injury. In a corresponding move the Red Sox have placed Holt on the 10-day disabled list, thus making room for the returning Bogaerts.
Despite losing one of its premier talents, Boston was able to maintain its hot start to the 2018 season, going 11-4 in 15 games without Bogaerts. The ever versatile Brock Holt filled in nicely for Xander, improving his batting average to .298 on the season and producing several clutch hits along the way. That being said the Red Sox will be thrilled to have Bogaerts’ hot bat back in the middle of the lineup. Before he went on the disabled list he was hitting .368 with two home runs and eight runs batted in. Bogaerts has also smacked seven doubles in just 38 at-bats so far this season.
The return of Bogaerts will provide a major boost to an already potent Red Sox lineup. However, as strong as their lineup has looked so far this season the Red Sox have struggled mightily against left-handed pitching, sporting a meager .202 batting average as a team against southpaws. Boston’s left-handed hitters are also struggling so far this season, with Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers, and Jackie Bradley Jr. hitting for a combined .237 average through their first 24 games.
By contrast, the right-handed hitters for the Red Sox are on fire, with Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Hanley Ramirez hitting for a combined .321 batting average. Those three have also combined for a total of 16 home runs and 51 runs driven in thus far.
The @RedSox have activated shortstop Xander Bogaerts off of the disabled list, as the righty looks to make an immediate impact for an already stellar team.Click To TweetXander Bogaerts is slated to return to the five-spot on the lineup, hitting behind Ramirez and Martinez. Adding him to the mix will only bolster Boston’s already formidable lineup, and he will aim to fix Boston’s problems against left-handed pitchers starting tonight when he and the Red Sox take on Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.
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