Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been great with the bases empty. He is batting .328 with a .438 on-base percentage when he steps to the plate with no runners on base.
The only issue is that he struggles with runners on base, particularly with runners in scoring position. He is batting just .125 with a .188 slugging percentage and four RBI with runners in scoring position through 26 games. Despite his struggles in this area, Bogaerts' confidence is not shaken.
"What’s going on right now is that things aren’t falling," Bogaerts said, per WEEI.com. "The hits aren’t coming when I need them, but it’ll turn around. You can’t keep a good man down for too long."
Hitting coach Greg Colbrunn feels Bogaerts is performing well at the plate despite his struggles in clutch at-bats.
"He’s doing well overall," Colbrunn said. "He’s swinging the bat good, seeing a lot of pitches and drawing walks. He might be pressing just a little with runners in scoring position, but for the most part, he’s stayed within himself and we’re going to continue to do what we’re doing and just try to concentrate on keeping positive."