Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts: Batting sixth in return from WBC

Bogaerts is hitting sixth in his Grapefruit League return Thursday from the World Baseball Classic, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Analysis:

Manager John Farrell said he likes Thursday's lineup construction, which may mean Bogaerts will bat sixth most of the time in 2017. For all his skills across the board at the dish, The X-Man may not get as much out of them hitting further down the order -- especially repeating the 115 runs he scored last year -- though this lineup runs deep, which should help his opportunities. Even with a slight downgrade, Bogaerts remains a useful core player for mixed league clubs.