Red Sox INF Xander Bogaerts dealing with sore shoulder, should be fine for Opening Day

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced on Monday that one of the key pieces to the team’s infield is dealing with a shoulder injury, per Pete Abraham. Cora told reporters that shortstop Xander Bogaerts is dealing with shoulder soreness. In the offseason, Bogaerts’ throwing program was put on pause due to COVID protocols in Aruba, which is where he was training, per Julian McWilliams.

The manager said that Bogaerts is projected to start throwing again in a couple of days and that this won’t impact his status for Opening Day.

The 28-year-old is entering his ninth season in the big leagues, all of which have come with Boston. Over that time, he’s been named an All-Star twice, has won three Silver Slugger awards, has been a part of two World Series championships and has never missed any significant time due to injuries. He has a career batting average of .289 and is coming off a .300 season in 2020.