Xander Bogaerts had a hit Saturday.

That’s not exactly big news. He’s had more than a thousand of them since making his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2013.

Yet it was newsworthy that he was in the lineup at all this weekend. The shortstop hadn’t played in a Grapefruit League game until Friday, when he was finally in the lineup as the designated hitter.

Bogaerts hasn’t played shortstop in a game yet, continuing to work his way back from shoulder soreness that forced him to shut down his throwing just before games began. Now he’s hitting again, and says the throwing will come soon enough.

“I will be completely ready for Opening Day,” Bogaerts assured us after his first game on Friday. “I feel completely ready right now.”

That’s great news for the Red Sox, because Bogaerts might just be their most important player. A constant at the position over the past eight seasons, Bogaerts is the undisputed leader of this team – even though he is still only 28 years old.

As Manager Alex Cora plays around with Kiké Hernandez at the top of the lineup, and we wait to see if J.D. Martinez can regain his form in the cleanup spot, there’s no question Bogaerts will bat third and play 150 or more games if he stays healthy.

He has to stay healthy. There is a growing confidence in this Red Sox group, a belief that last year’s horrible season was an aberration and that better days are ahead soon. That confidence begins with Bogaerts, the quiet Aruban who has grown into his leadership role over the years.

While the Red Sox continue to replenish the farm system, rebuilding a pipeline of young talent that will be vital to future success, Bogaerts wants the team to return to contention in the short term. This is the second year of the six-year, $120 million extension he signed in 2019.

It seemed he may have left some money on the table at the time, but he wanted to get a deal done in Boston and have the peace of mind that comes with stability. Yet he can opt out of the deal after the 2022 season. And there’s no doubt the price of a quality shortstop has gone up considerably in recent months.

The 14-year, $340 million deal signed by Fernando Tatis, Jr. last month certainly had shortstops around the game smiling. In the wake of that it would seem Bogaerts would look for a new deal, even if it’s to stay in Boston after next season.

When he first met with the media (via Zoom, of course) at the start of spring training, Bogaerts said he’s not thinking about what will happen in 20 months. At least not yet.

“I haven’t even been thinking about it yet,” said Bogaerts. “It’s so far down the road. When that time comes, we’ll go over that and see how it works. I remember when I signed, I thought it would be such a long time before I’d even be a free agent. Now, some topics are bouncing around, the opt-out and stuff like that. Time comes by quick. It flies quick. The time you’ve got to make decisions sometimes comes even quicker than you anticipated.”

Bogaerts will be 30 by the time the opt-out option comes. Right now he is in his prime, and is hoping to lead this team back to respectability. Being healthy and getting on the field is the first step toward that. So this weekend was a big step in the right direction for him, and for his team.

Tom Caron is a studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on NESN. His column runs on Tuesdays in the Portland Press Herald.

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