BOSTON — Xander Bogaerts, the Red Sox’ hottest hitter and perhaps their best story to begin 2018, left Sunday afternoon’s game at Fenway Park with a limp after he was hurt chasing after a ball headed toward the visitor’s dugout. The shortstop needed assistance from the team’s training staff to get down the home dugout steps.
On a triple from Joey Wendle in the top of the seventh inning, left fielder J.D. Martinez awkwardly played a ball off the Green Monster. The wall hit the Monster and then hit Martinez, who chased it down as it rolled away toward the left field line.
Bogaerts was near third base to grab the throw, which he was able to get his glove on but did not fully squeeze. Instead, Bogaerts inadvertently flipped the ball toward the visitor’s dugout. Bogaerts appeared to be hurt chasing after the ball in those initial steps, or possibly when he went into a feet-first slide that took him down the top step of the visitor’s dugout. He seemed in control as he went into the slide.
Joey Wendle was credited a triple on the play, which plated a Rays run to grow the Sox deficit to 6-2.
Scorching hot and healthy to start the season, Bogaerts entered Sunday hitting .371 with a .405 on-base percentage and .743 slugging percentage. His seven doubles were a major league best. He hit a grand slam on Saturday and finished with six RBIs on the day.
The Sox entered Sunday with a seven-game win streak that was on its way to being snapped.
Brock Holt took over for Bogaerts at short.
