Bogaerts had made one prior journey again to Boston in 2024, however whereas that go to was emotional — full with tributes from the followers, and the first likelihood to see so many individuals whom he’d recognized all through his profession — Bogaerts was on the injured record and unable to play. Now that he’s able to face the Red Sox, what sort of reception did Bogaerts anticipate on Friday?
“I don’t know. I hope [it’s positive]. We obviously ended on a good note,” mentioned Bogaerts. “It’s been a couple years now, so hopefully they still remember once they hear my name.”
They did certainly. Bogaerts acquired an ovation when launched, for apparent causes. He was a key contributor to championships in 2013 and 2018, made 4 All-Star groups and received 5 Silver Sluggers with the Red Sox, and concluded his time in Boston having performed extra video games at shortstop than anybody in franchise historical past.
Yet Bogaerts now acknowledges feeling separation from his time in Boston, in a means that wasn’t but doable in his prior go to. Not solely has extra time handed, however he additionally has nearly no remaining teammates from his Red Sox tenure.
“I feel like this is a whole new team that the Red Sox are compared to when I was here,” mentioned Bogaerts. “I don’t know as many people. Most of my friends are either somewhere else or retired. It makes you see that time flies.”
That mentioned, Bogaerts is aware of what it’s wish to develop up within the Red Sox group and to search out his footing within the massive leagues. There are some similarities between the trail Bogaerts traveled as a celebrated high prospect who immediately contributed to Red Sox’ success in 2013 and Roman Anthony’s arrival final yr. Yet Bogaerts famous a distinction between their preliminary burst onto the massive league scene, as properly.
“He came up and got an extension right away. I can’t relate to that,” Bogaerts joked of the eight-year, $130 million deal Anthony signed final August. “It probably comes with a little bit more on his shoulders. He might be the face of the team right now, right? With all that happened last year, he’s probably the guy, I would guess … I don’t really know the kid, but all that I know is he’s very good at baseball. He seems like a nice kid also.”
Bogaerts does have ideas about how Anthony and different younger Red Sox gamers corresponding to Marcelo Mayer can navigate the expectations and a spotlight in Boston.
“Especially playing in a big market like this, just be respectful, be accountable,” mentioned Bogaerts. “It can be hard, man. It can be hard. I can tell you that … They just want to see you succeed and help the team, help the city. But it can definitely be a little stressful sometimes, because the expectations are always high here. It’s something that goes back so long. It’s just a winning culture, winning tradition. A lot of great players came up playing for this organization, playing for this team. When I came up, it was David [Ortiz] and [Dustin] Pedroia. It’s always been big and great players around this team. And as I said, it’s just, expectations are always high.”
Now, nonetheless, Bogaerts is navigating a brand new set of expectations in San Diego — a metropolis hungry for its first championship within the 4 main skilled sports activities.
“I’m in a situation now where it’s kind of like most of the years where I’ve been with the Red Sox. We want to win, and the fans, that’s what they expect,” mentioned Bogaerts. “They want it more badly [than Boston], maybe, because the Red Sox have a lot more championships up there in the banners. Getting the city of San Diego one might be one of the most special things, for sure.”
Alex Speier could be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.
