Per Chad Thornburg of MLB.com, Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Monday after an X-ray and MRI revealed a small crack in the talus bone in his left ankle. The injury will not require surgery, and he’s expected to miss 10 to 14 days.
In his place the team has announced it will recall infielder Tzu-Wei Lin from Triple-A Pawtucket. This is not the kind of news the Red Sox wanted to hear as they begin a series against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park beginning on Tuesday.
The team also announced left-hander Drew Pomeranz (left forearm flexor strain) will make his next rehab start for Double-A Portland on Friday against Binghamton.
Xander Bogaerts was signed as an amateur free agent by the Red Sox in 2009, and made his MLB debut in 2013, appearing in 30 games between the regular season and postseason, and helping the Red Sox to the World Series championship. He became the Red Sox’ starting shortstop in 2014, and was awarded the American League Silver Slugger award at the position in back to back years in 2015 and 2016.
The 25-year-old right handed bat will be missed in the Red Sox’s lineup.
Thornburg reports Bogaerts left Sunday’s game against the Rays with a left ankle injury he sustained during the seventh inning while sliding into the third-base dugout’s open stairwell, attempting to recover an errant throw to prevent another Tampa Bay run from scoring.
Prior to the injury, Bogaerts was leading the Red Sox with a .368 average and hit a career-best six RBIs in Saturday’s win vs. the Rays. This is his first stint on the DL since suffering a concussion in August 2014.
The Red Sox sit atop the American Least East at 8-1. They are currently 2.5 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays and 3.5 games ahead of the Yankees.