Red Sox place Xander Bogaerts on disabled list, call up Tzu-Wei Lin

The Boston Red Sox have placed shortstop Xander Bogaerts on the 10-day disabled list. Infielder Tzu-Wei Lin has been called up to take his place.

It’s not great news for the Boston Red Sox but all things considered, it could have been worse.

Xander Bogaerts has been placed on the 10-day disabled list after X-Rays revealed a small crack in the talus bone in his left ankle. He’s not expected to require surgery and the team hopes to have him back in the lineup within 10-14 days.

The 25-year old was injured sliding into the dugout while chasing a ball that got away from him. Bogaerts walked gingerly around the field before trainers assisted him to the clubhouse. He underwent tests at Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday prior to the decision to send him to the DL.

The injury comes at an inopportune time for Bogaerts and the Red Sox. The team will welcome the New York Yankees to town for the season’s first meeting between the archrivals. Now they will have to face the Bronx Bombers without Bogaerts, who has been their best hitter this season.

Bogaerts leads the team with a .368 average, 1.111 OPS, two home runs and nine RBI. He leads the majors with seven doubles and he is second with nine extra-base hits. His grand slam on Saturday was one of the highlights of the young season given the Red Sox went all of last year without one.

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That type of production in the lineup can’t be replaced but at least the Red Sox have a few options to fill in at shortstop. I outlined a few of those options earlier today.

As predicted, the Red Sox have called up Tzu-Wei Lin from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Bogaerts’ spot on the roster. It remains to be seen if the 24-year old from Taiwan will see regular playing time or serve as depth on the bench. Brock Holt took over at shortstop once Bogaerts exited Sunday’s game. He’ll remain an option, yet a case can certainly be made that he’s best served sticking with his utility role to provide more flexibility.

On a brighter note, Drew Pomeranz will pitch in Double-A Portland on Friday. The lefty continues his road to recovery from a left forearm flexor strain and could join the rotation before the end of April.

Next: Red Sox vs Yankees series preview

Bogaerts was off to a promising start last year before a hand injury derailed his season. He stubbornly attempted to play through the pain to his own detriment. Losing their star shortstop for a couple weeks isn’t ideal. However, allowing him to heal now is wiser than letting Bogaerts push himself through an injury.