MLB Player News

An illness limited Red Sox third baseman Xander Bogaerts to pinch-running duties Sunday, but he was back in the lineup Monday against the Twins. Bogaerts, who will bat second, is hitting .278 with six homers and 18 RBI in 245 at-bats.

Red Sox infielder Xander Bogaerts was not in the team's starting lineup Sunday due to an illness, according to the Boston Globe. 

Bogaerts came to the clubhouse dealing with an illness and will not play. There's hope Bogaerts will be able to return to the starting lineup Monday. He's hitting .278/.366/.429 over 245 at-bats.

Red Sox infielder Xander Bogaerts was not in the team's starting lineup Thursday.

It's a normal day of rest for Bogaerts. Brock Holt will get the start at third base with Bogaerts out. Over 237 at-bats, Bogaerts is hitting .278/.367/.422.

Red Sox infielder Xander Bogaerts won't blame his recent slump on playing third base, according to WEEI.

"I really don’t think so," said Bogaerts when asked about the issue. "It’s just a matter of maybe a bit more work over there at third. I’m not saying I lost my focus on hitting, but sometimes you tend to try to fix things more over there."

Bogaerts is hitting just .163 in June, though the first game of his current slump actually came with him playing short. Bogaerts said he hasn't been able to get his barrel on balls recently, but doesn't think it's a big problem going forward. "We all make mistakes. We all struggle. We all go through tough stretches. I’m going to be fine."

A hitless slide that has reached four full games covering 16 at-bats doesn't seem to be fazing Red Sox rookie shortstop-turned-third baseman Xander Bogaerts.

"I'm going to be fine," he told WEEI.com after going 0 for 4 Wednesday night. "Sit back, relax and enjoy."

Bogaerts, who has been prone to hot and cold spells this season, now owns a .278 average that is at its lowest point since May 27.

Red Sox third baseman Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with a double and a solo home run in his team's 5-3 loss to the Indians Tuesday.

Bogaerts hasn't let the shift to third base affect him at the plate, as he's 4 for 8 with two home runs in his last two games. He has hit .304/.395/.464 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 207 at-bats.

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts was the only bright spot on offense Monday night against the Indians.

Bogaerts launched a two-run shot off reliever Bryan Shaw in the eighth inning. He added a singled and finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI in a 3-2 defeat. He is hitting .300 with four homers and 15 RBI in 203 at-bats.

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts continued to flourish in the second hole Friday night against Tampa Bay. He smacked three more hits, including an RBI double in the seventh inning that tied the game.

Bogaerts is 14 for 35 with four doubles since the elevation in the lineup in raising his batting average from .279 to .304.

It's nice to finally see Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts go on a hot streak since Fantasy owners were losing a little faith in the 21-year-old infielder following a slow start. He's batting .355 with a .565 slugging percentage and .985 OPS in his last 16 games, which has given Red Sox manager John Farrell the opportunity to move him up to second in the batting order.

It's not surprising Bogaerts is doing his best work against fastballs. He's batting .333 with a .513 slugging percentage and .396 BABIP against fastballs this season, per BrooksBaseball.net. He's also doing well with offspeed pitches, batting .316 with a .429 BABIP. Though, he's having trouble with breaking pitches, batting .143 with a .261 BABIP. Perhaps it's not too shocking to see a young hitter struggle with major-league breaking pitches, but at least he's performing well against fastballs and offspeed pitches.

Bogaerts is a special talent and should be a standout Fantasy player one day. It's encouraging to see him batting second. He should see some good pitches hitting in front of Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. I did move him up in my rankings at shortstop and third base, and hopefully this is the start of his breakout run.

Red Sox infielder Xander Bogaerts picked up three hits Wednesday against the Braves.

Bogaerts reached in his first three plate appearances. He walked his first time up, added a double his second time up and singled his third time up. After striking out in his fourth at-bat, Bogaerts came back and hit another single. He finished the game 3 for 4, with one run scored and no RBI.

Bogaerts is hitting .287/.383/.414 in 181 at-bats.