It appears Xander Bogaerts' shoulder issue won't keep him from the Opening Day lineup.
The Boston Red Sox shortstop was shut down March 1 with soreness in his shoulder but began throwing just a few days later.
With the regular season less than a month away, it's fair to wonder just what Bogaerts' status will be come April 1. And he seemed pretty confident that he'll be ready.
"Yeah, I think I will be ready by Opening Day, barring any other weird injuries that might come up or something,” Bogaerts said Tuesday on WEEI's "Ordway, Merloni & Fauria." "You never know. But as of now, yeah, I’ll be ready for Opening Day. My shoulder feels, I think, pretty close to 100 percent.
"It's just trying to get that strength back in it -- just strength, mobility, and making sure this doesn’t happen again," he added. "It’s been a great rehab so far. The training staff, they’ve been getting me back in good shape."
Bogaerts was a bright spot during a down 2020 Red Sox season. The 28-year-old batted .300 with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs.
