Xander Bogaerts Missing Time Among March 1 Spring Training Notes

It was reported on Monday that Red Sox star shortstop Xander Bogaerts will be missing time due to a shoulder injury early on in Spring Training. It should only be a couple of games but it is never a good sign for a player to be missing time at the start of camp.

Bogaerts had another great season in a shortened 2020 and is one of the more underrated players in baseball. He is very valuable to Boston’s lineup, especially considering that there isn’t a real shortstop on the roster in the event that Bogaerts is hurt during the season. Christian Arroyo might not even make the roster; Kike Hernandez is seen as more of a second baseman; Marwin Gonzalez is seen as more of a first or third baseman if he plays the infield.

Jeter Downs was acquired in the Mookie Betts deal as a talented minor league shortstop, but he isn’t ready for the big leagues yet.

Garrett Richards Makes First Red Sox Start

Richards was signed in free agency after being a pretty solid starter out in San Diego with the Padres. He only went two innings in Monday’s loss to the Twins, allowing two earned runs and surrendering three hits. The real upside for Richards will come if he is able to hit his spots and limit the walks. He didn’t have great pinpoint control on Monday, as he walked two batters and didn’t get three outs in the first inning because he had already reached 20 pitches–which is when the manager has the ability to end the inning for safety reasons.

2020 First Round Pick Makes Debut

There was no minor league season in 2020, so Monday was Nick Yorke’s first professional action. He played the final three innings and was able to get an opposite field single in his first at-bat. His future major league manager, Alex Cora, liked what he saw from the youngster. “That was the highlight of the day, having that kid play,” Cora said. “It’s funny because I told him before the game, ‘Hey, you’re playing second base.’ He’s like, ‘Ok, cool.’ I asked him, ‘Are you nervous?’ He’s like, ‘Nope.’ I said, ‘Ok, good for you.’ I was probably more nervous for him, so that’s a good sign.”

Yorke wasn’t ranked in the Top 100 Draft Prospect ranks prior to the draft, but Bloom and his staff loved his bat and took him in the first round because they didn’t believe he would be available in the second round.

(Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP)