Xander Bogaerts will return from COVID-19 absence on Friday – Boston.com

Red SoxBoston Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts bats against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

The Red Sox began their Friday with the news that ace Chris Sale tested positive for COVID-19, but theyre getting a star player back from the COVID-19 related injured list.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts will return to the Red Sox lineup for Fridays series- opener against the White Sox. Hes hitting fourth in the lineup.

Bogaerts received a positive COVID-19 test during a game against the Rays on Aug. 31, removing him from that game and the next eight games.

Since the Red Sox COVID-19 outbreak began on Aug. 27, Bogaerts is just the second player who tested positive to return to the lineup. Kik Hernndez, who was the first player to test positive, returned to the lineup on Tuesday. Following Sales positive COVID-19 test on Friday, 10 Red Sox players have tested positive for the virus over the last two weeks.

Bogaerts isnt the lone player the Red Sox are returning on Friday. Reliever Darwinzon Hernndez will be activated after sitting out since July due to an oblique injury. The Red Sox are also calling up reliever Kaleb Ort from Triple-A Worcester. Ort, 29, is 1-3 with a 3.12 ERA and has yet to play in an MLB game.

To make room for Fridays additions, the Red Sox will send infielder Jonathan Arazback to Triple-A and reliever Austin Davis will be placed on the paternity leave list.

Friday begins arguably the toughest stretch for the Red Sox for the rest of the regular season. They play three games against the AL Central-leading White Sox this weekend in Chicago before heading west to face the Mariners for three games. Seattles 7-3 in its last 10 games and trails Boston by just two games for the top AL wild-card spot.

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Xander Bogaerts will return from COVID-19 absence on Friday - Boston.com

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