Red Sox to activate three-time All-Star SS Xander Bogaerts from COVID IL

The Red Sox are planning to activate star shortstop Xander Bogaerts from the COVID-19 injured list before Friday evening’s game against the White Sox, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. He has been out since testing positive for the virus on August 31.

The Red Sox have held their own in Bogaerts’ absence, going 5-4 over that nine-game stretch. Bogaerts was one of 10 Red Sox players to test positive as the virus has spread throughout the clubhouse. While he and Enrique Hernández have now made it back to action, a good portion of the roster remains on the virus-related IL. Indeed, that spread continued to impact the club as recently as Friday afternoon, when it was announced that ace Chris Sale tested positive.

Bogaerts is arguably the most important player the Red Sox were without during their outbreak. The three-time All-Star has a fantastic .298/.366/.501 line over 519 plate appearances this season, making him one of the more valuable position players in the league. He returns at a time when the Sox hold a one-game advantage over the Yankees for the American League’s top wild-card spot, with the Blue Jays just half a game behind New York.