FORT MYERS, Fla. — Xander Bogaerts was still a developing minor league player in 2013 when he was invited to play for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

He happily accepted and appeared in seven of the team’s eight games, helping the Dutch get to the semifinals.

Later that season, Bogaerts was promoted to the majors and was instrumental in the Red Sox winning the World Series.

“Why mess with a good thing?’’ Bogaerts said Wednesday. “That’s why I’m going back. I’m hoping for the same results.’’

The logistics are a little troublesome, though. The Netherlands will open the tournament in Seoul March 7 against Korea. If the Dutch advance out of the first round, they’ll play in Tokyo from March 12-16.

The final round of the tournament will be March 20-22 in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.

Bogaerts could be gone from camp for as long as three weeks. His time with the Red Sox will be limited to two weeks now and perhaps a week before the season starts.

Bogaerts joked that he expected to lose weight unless he developed a taste for Asian food. He also acknowledged being a “little bit nervous’’ about traveling to the other side of the world.

With Andrelton Simmons at shortstop, Bogaerts will play third base for the Netherlands. The team also has Jonathan Schoop, Didi Gregorius, and Jurickson Profar.

“I grew up playing with or against those guys,’’ said Bogaerts. “This is a chance to play with them now and hopefully make it far for our country.’’

The team is a mix of players from the Koninklijke Nederlandse league in the Netherlands and the Dutch Caribbean region. Bogaerts is a native of Aruba.

At 24, Bogaerts is starting his fourth full season in the majors. He was an All-Star last season and already is a two-time Silver Slugger winner at shortstop in the American League.

Bogaerts joked that all of that major league experience has him feeling older than his age.

But he still has youthful ambitions. Bogaerts said one of his goals for the season would be stealing more bases. He had two steals in 2014, got to 13 last season, and believes he can swipe 20.

Beat the shift

One of the teaching points in camp for hitters will be finding ways to beat defensive shifts.

“Even with guys early in their big league careers, guys are really getting shifted against,’’ manager John Farrell said. “We’ve got some things that we’ll look to do to hopefully take back some of those lanes that are otherwise shifted away from.’’

Going to the opposite field is elementary strategy against a shift. But the Sox also will work with certain players on bunting for hits.

Every Red Sox opponent shifted to the right side against David Ortiz. His solution was to hit a ball over the fence or so hard on a line that it couldn’t be tracked down. That worked for him.

But the Sox would prefer that Jackie Bradley Jr., who also saw a high number of shifts, to take a more thoughtful approach.

“He’s a guy that, to me, we can look to take advantage of and work against the shift to hopefully open things back up for him,’’ Farrell said.

Bradley, a lefthanded hitter, has the ability to hit righthanded. But there are no plans for him to start switch-hitting.

The Sox also will work with players such as Brock Holt, Josh Rutledge, and Chris Young on positional versatility.

Complacent Clay

In Clearwater, Clay Buchholz is starting his first spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies after being traded in December.

He told reporters there he expected to be traded and was almost relieved when it happened.

“There are expectations that are brought back to you,’’ he said. “That sense of complacency, being in one spot for an extended period of time, that’s gone.

“And yeah, you want to perform for the new faces and show that you’re still good at your craft and good at what you do. I’m coming in here and hoping to definitely impress and help this team win some baseball games.’’

Young ideas

Farrell said Young is the “primary candidate’’ to be the designated hitter against lefthanded pitchers. Hanley Ramirez would play first base in those games . . . Look for Andrew Benintendi to get some work in center field during camp. He will play center on the days Bradley gets a rest . . . When Chris Sale played for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League in 2009, his roommate was Dan Butler, now a catcher with the Sox. Dr. John Serijan, who hosted Sale and Butler at his home that summer, visited JetBlue Park before Wednesday’s workout to say hello to them.

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.