The only player getting booed at Fenway Park on Friday afternoon, at least for a few innings, will be Manny Machado.
As bad as the 1-5 Red Sox have been — and they’ve been pretty bad — the home opener is usually a safe haven with fans just happy to be back at the ballpark after a long, cold winter.
They’ll pose for photos on Jersey Street, happily pay for overpriced beer, and enjoy skipping out of work early to see the Sox play the Padres.
It also will be the first time Xander Bogaerts plays at Fenway since the Red Sox gave him the Jon Lester treatment in 2022 with a lowball contract offer during spring training that led to his departure as a free agent.
Sox fans will be happy to see Bogaerts, if only to be reminded of the two World Series he helped win. Those were the days when the Sox did more than talk about how much they wanted to win; they backed it up, filling roster holes with high-end talent.
Read Peter Abraham's full column at BostonGlobe.com/Sports. | 
