Xander Bogaerts to make Red Sox debut, starting at shortstop Tuesday

Xander Bogaerts enjoyed his first day as a member of the Red Sox Monday night, but his first in-game action will come Tuesday. John Farrell has confirmed: Xander Bogaerts will start tonight's game against the Giants.

John Farrell: "Xander Bogaerts will be in the lineup tonight for Stephen Drew"

— MLB Network Radio (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 20, 2013

Xander starting against a right-handed pitcher is likely not going to be the most common of occurrences in the month to come thanks to Stephen Drew's .276/.369/.466 line against opposite-handed pitching this year. But, with Boston's starting shortstop having played the last 26 games for the Red Sox, with the team having only two days off in that whole period, it's not hard to understand why Farrell would make today an exception.

While Xander comes into this game with all the hype in the world, it's worth noting he hit just .280/.335/.446 against right-handed pitchers in Pawtucket this year. Not bad numbers, and Ryan Vogelsong hasn't exactly proven himself a tough opponent so far this season, but still, if he starts slow, it wouldn't be too surprising.

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