Xander Bogaerts Makes Surprising Revelation About 2022 Season

Baseball season is a marathon, and by this point in the year almost everyone is dealing with some sort of injury.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is no exception. While he's played in all but six of Boston's 122 games thus far, he recently acknowledged that he's been playing through pain in his left shoulder and wrist.

Bogaerts has received cortisone shots to help manage the pain, which is the result of a collision with Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo on May 20. While Bogaerts left the game early, he returned to the starting lineup the following day and has not missed multiple games in a row at any point this season.

According to Bogaerts, the injury caused him to alter his mechanics. That may explain why his power numbers are down, as his .441 slugging percentage is his lowest mark since 2017.

With the Red Sox fighting to stay in the Wild Card race, Bogaerts has continued to grind through the injury. He says he feels fine now but is still searching for his early-season form at the plate, as his OPS has slipped from .853 before the injury to .790 since then.

Despite Bogaerts' best efforts to keep his team in contention, Boston has fallen two games below .500 and six games back of a Wild Card spot in the American League. The All-Star shortstop is expected to opt out of his contract this offseason, however, so he still has plenty to play for.