SEATTLE -- It would be perfectly understandable if Andrew Benintendi was sleepless in Seattle. Benintendi joined the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday and is scheduled to make his first major league start Wednesday night against the Seattle Mariners. It will be a stop-the-presses event, considering the 22-year-old left fielder was the Red Sox's first-round draft pick last year and ranked No. 3 by ESPN in Keith Law's midseason top 50 prospects.

"I'm extremely excited," said Benintendi, who debuted with a pinch-hit appearance in the seventh inning Tuesday night and finished 0-for-2, including a game-ending strikeout against Mariners closer Edwin Diaz in a 5-4 loss. "It's something I've dreamed of since I was a kid, and to finally be here, it's an unreal feeling."

If any Red Sox player knows the feeling of making his debut in the midst of a tightly contested pennant race, it's shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

Three years ago, the Sox called up Bogaerts on Aug. 19. Like Benintendi, Bogaerts' chance came during a West Coast trip with the team fighting for first place in the American League East. Also, like Benintendi, Bogaerts wasn't in the lineup on the day he arrived; manager John Farrell preferred to ease him in by waiting until the following day to start Bogaerts at shortstop against the San Francisco Giants.

"The best game, I would probably say, is to watch the first one. I'm not even joking with you," Bogaerts said. "You're more calmed down because you're not worried about getting a hit or making a good play to help your team out. It definitely helped. I didn't come in cold right away. I remember I took BP, took ground balls on a big league field for the first time, but I didn't play that game. It's definitely much more easier like that."

Bogaerts went 0-for-3 with one strikeout in that first game, a 3-2 loss to the Giants. He started only 12 of the Red Sox's final 34 games but was a major contributor in the playoffs after taking over at third base for Will Middlebrooks midway through the AL Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers.

Benintendi is expected to get more regular playing time down the stretch than Bogaerts did in 2013, although the Red Sox will be careful not to put too much pressure on the outfielder. As a left-handed hitter, Benintendi will play primarily against right-handed pitchers, according to Farrell, while righty-swinging Bryce Brentz gets more of the at-bats against left-handers.

Farrell also said Benintendi will likely bat ninth, a spot that might cause him to see more fastballs. With righty-hitting Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia and Bogaerts at the top of the order, teams might be less likely to bring in a lefty reliever to face Benintendi.

"My advice to him? Just don't worry about hitting .500," Bogaerts said. "We don't need you to hit 1.000 at all. We just need you to get on base. Try to be the same player that you were in the minor leagues. It might be tough to do that, but just be yourself. Don't try to go up there and hit that game-winning home run. We have David [Ortiz], we have Mookie, we got Hanley [Ramirez], Pedroia, those guys to do that. Get on base, let them get you in. They'll do it. And if you get the walk-off, you get it."

Bogaerts recalled being shocked to learn of his promotion, especially since it was late in the season and the Red Sox were contending. He also was in a mini-slump in Triple-A, having gone 0-for-10 with five strikeouts in his final three games at Triple-A Pawtucket.

"I was like, 'I don't know how to do this no more,' and then I get the phone call and I'm like, 'These guys are crazy,'" Bogaerts said. "It was totally unexpected. Totally, totally."

Benintendi said he didn't see this coming either, even though he has been on a fast track ever since the Red Sox drafted him out of Arkansas. When he recently began playing left field (he's a natural center fielder), he had to know a call-up might be imminent.

The Sox called up Benintendi directly from Double-A, in which he recorded 237 at-bats, eight more than center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. did when he made the leap to the majors out of spring training in 2013. Bradley struggled badly for the next two seasons before finally making the adjustments that enabled him to have success against big league pitching.

Benintendi, whose parents are flying in from Cincinnati for Wednesday night's game, will face the similar challenge of proving he's ready for this. In deciding to call him up now, the Red Sox considered the success that Michael Conforto and Kyle Schwarber had last season for the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, respectively, after being called up one year after they were drafted out of major college programs.

There's also the matter of Benintendi dominating the minor leagues this season. He's batting .312 with 31 doubles, 12 triples, nine homers, 16 stolen bases, 39 walks, only 39 strikeouts and a .910 OPS in 97 games between Single-A Salem and Double-A Portland.

"Obviously I think there would be a little jump -- better command and throwing offspeed pitches in advantage counts for the hitter," Benintendi said. "It's something that I'll try to pick up as quickly as possible and try to move forward with that."

Said Bogaerts: "I probably wasn't blessed with the same eyesight that he has. I could see that helping him already, just knowing the strike zone. I came up, I was still kind of unsure. But I think he's really polished in that area."

If Benintendi needs any help, Bogaerts, Betts and Bradley can draw upon their experiences over the past few seasons.

In that sense, Bogaerts says he believes Benintendi might have an easier time with the transition to life in the big leagues. When Bogaerts made his debut in 2013, the Red Sox didn't have nearly as many young players as they do now.

"He might blend in quick," Bogaerts said. "I was kind of from afar with all those veteran guys that we had [in 2013]. It's awesome having a lot of young guys here. Hopefully he just blends in right away with us."