ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Boston Red Sox star shortstop Xander Bogaerts was pulled from Tuesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays after testing positive for COVID-19, the latest virus setback for the team.
Bogaerts was on the field before the start of the bottom of the second inning when manager Alex Cora motioned for him to come out of the game. The team announced his positive test a short while later.
Jonathan Arauz, who started at second base, took Bogaerts spot at shortstop, while Yairo Munoz took second base.
Bogaerts is the sixth Red Sox player to test positive for COVID-19 since Friday. The others are Hirokazu Sawamura, Martin Perez, Matt Barnes, Enrique Hernandez and Christian Arroyo.
The Boston bullpen has been hit hard by the outbreak that started last week.
Sawamura went on the COVID-19 related injured list earlier Tuesday, while left-handed reliever Josh Taylor was added to the list as a close contact individual.
Perez and Barnes were added to the COVID-19 injured list before Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Rays. It was announced afterward that Taylor and first-base coach Tom Goodwin were in quarantine as close contacts, and quality control coach Ramon Vazquez had tested positive.
Hernandez and Arroyo were placed on COVID-19 IL last Friday. They remain in Cleveland, where the Red Sox were playing when both tested positive.
Before Tuesday night’s game, Cora said he remains concerned that there could be additional cases.
“It feels like it is one every day, right?” Cora said. “It’s just the natural of where we’re at. This is where our reality is. Hopefully, this is the end of it, but there’s no guarantees.”
Boston outfielder Hunter Renfroe, placed on the bereavement list Thursday following the death of his father, cleared MLB protocols and was reinstated to the active roster. He started in right field and hit leadoff.
“It hasn’t been easy but I try to focus on the positives,” Cora said.
Boston began Tuesday holding a two-game lead over Oakland for the second AL wildcard.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.