BOSTON — With the Pawtucket Red Sox rained out at home Wednesday night, Xander Bogaerts might limit his rehab stint to just one game.


The shortstop homered and doubled in three at-bats Tuesday night at McCoy Stadium, reporting no setbacks from the left ankle injury that has sidelined him since April 8. Bogaerts is set to see the Red Sox medical staff on Thursday before potentially being activated from the disabled list for this weekend’s series with Tampa Bay at Fenway [...]

Bill Koch

BOSTON — With the Pawtucket Red Sox rained out at home Wednesday night, Xander Bogaerts might limit his rehab stint to just one game.

The shortstop homered and doubled in three at-bats Tuesday night at McCoy Stadium, reporting no setbacks from the left ankle injury that has sidelined him since April 8. Bogaerts is set to see the Red Sox medical staff on Thursday before potentially being activated from the disabled list for this weekend’s series with Tampa Bay at Fenway Park.

“He's going to see the doctor tomorrow just to make sure everything is fine,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Then after that we'll talk to him again and make a decision.”

Bogaerts has been sidelined since suffering his injury in another home series against the Rays, sliding down the steps of the visiting dugout chasing an errant throw. He was off to a terrific start at the plate, with seven doubles in just eight games. Bogaerts would give Boston a potent bat in the middle of its order, one it certainly appears to miss after totaling five runs in 31 innings entering the middle game of this series with the Blue Jays.

Cora is mindful, however, of how Bogaerts saw his 2017 season derailed after being hit by a pitch in a game at Tampa Bay. Bogaerts was drilled on the right hand by a Jake Faria fastball and scuffled the rest of the way, watching his OPS sink from .818 on July 6 to a season-ending .746.

“One thing I want to make sure is that he's ready to play — that he's not playing because he feels that he has to play,” Cora said. “I do feel that he's in a good spot the way that he talked to me. We have to make sure that's the case, whether it's Friday or Saturday or Sunday, that there's no doubt in his mind that he can perform at this level.”

Busy night

Wednesday’s announced crowd of 18,914 figures to be the smallest of the series, with a full night on the Toronto sports calendar siphoning off casual fans left and right.

The Maple Leafs visited the Bruins in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, with most televisions on the Rogers Centre suite level tuned to the hockey game. Toronto fans roared with delight when each of Patrick Marleau’s opening two goals were announced.

The Raptors hosted Washington in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference series, with the Air Canada Centre downtown serving as the venue. Replica jerseys belonging to Toronto guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were among those spotted.

There was also soccer some 2,500 miles south, with Toronto F.C. visiting Chivas de Guadalajara in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League final. Chivas held a 2-1 lead after their victory at Toronto’s BMO Field on April 17.

Streak snapped

Tuesday’s 4-3 loss in 10 innings snapped a nine-game Red Sox winning streak in extra frames.

Boston’s only other stretch with as many consecutive extra-inning wins came across the 1937 and 1938 seasons. The Red Sox had won a pair of games in extra frames already in 2018. Boston slipped past Miami, 4-2, in 13 innings on April 3 and rallied past Tampa Bay, 3-2, in 12 innings in their April 5 home opener at Fenway Park.

— bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25