Xander Bogaerts Leaves Game vs. Rays with Hand Injury; X-Rays Negative

Boston Red Sox star Xander Bogaerts could be forced to miss time after leaving Thursday's game with a hand injury.

The shortstop was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat and left the game in the first inning. According to ESPN, he has a bruised right hand, but X-rays were negative.

"Doesn't feel good," Bogaerts said after the game. "We'll see how we come in tomorrow, but as of now it's very sore."

Bogaerts has quickly developed into a key cog in the Red Sox lineup. The 24-year-old infielder broke out in a major way over the past two seasons, posting a .355 on-base percentage with 28 home runs and 23 stolen bases, though he's struggled defensively at times.

In 2017, he has a .308 batting average with six home runs and 41 RBI.

He has also been durable since making his debut late in the 2013 campaign. He played 140-plus games in each of his first three full seasons in the big leagues, though he did miss some action during the early stages of last season with a wrist injury.

If the Aruba native is out of the lineup for a while, Tzu-Wei Lin and Deven Marrero will likely take over until the team returns to full strength.

While Boston's offensive depth should keep the run production at a reasonable level during Bogaerts' recovery, the offense won't be as strong without him. His well-rounded skill set and ability to get on base makes him a good fit anywhere in the order.