Mike Lord is driving cross-country, from Florida’s Atlantic coast to Southern California. So it wasn’t until yesterday, somewhere along I-10 in West Texas, that the former Red Sox scout heard about Xander Bogaerts’ game-winning, two-run double Sunday at Fenway Park.

“That’s great,” Lord said by phone. “Hey, I’ve been off the grid for a few days. Has he gotten past two home runs yet?”

And so it goes. Even the man who found Bogaerts on a gravelly field in Aruba expects more from him.

It has been this way since the Red Sox called up Bogaerts from Triple A in 2013. Nothing short of instant stardom would do for the organization’s most touted prospect since Nomar Garciaparra. And if the bar wasn’t high enough, it rose in the 2013 playoffs, when Bogaerts notched a .412 on-base percentage and became the third-youngest player — behind Ty Cobb and Mickey Mantle, no less — to triple in a World Series game.

So, when the kid shortstop endured the longest, most profound slump of his life last year in his first season as a full-time big leaguer, everyone just assumed something must be wrong. Even worse, maybe the Sox miscalculated his talent.

But as the Red Sox begin a three-game series tonight in Baltimore, Bogaerts has been their most consistent hitter, which says every bit as much about his marked improvement from last season as it does about the overall underperformance of the offense. Boosted by a 14-for-29 tear during his past eight games, he’s batting .296 with a .340 on-base percentage, both of which trail only the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias among AL shortstops with at least 150 plate appearances.

Even more encouraging is Bogaerts’ maturation as a shortstop. His defense was so erratic last year that it prompted questions about his long-term viability at the position. But his range has gotten good enough, his arm so accurate, that he makes most routine plays and some tough ones. Based on the UZR metric at Fangraphs.com, he is an above-average shortstop, ahead of such well-regarded defenders as Alcides Escobar (Royals), Brandon Crawford (Giants) and Jimmy Rollins (Dodgers).

But about that low home run total . . .

“I think the expectation is, ‘Why aren’t you a superstar yet?’” Lord said. “We all can be impatient. How old is he now? 22? So he could be a senior (in college) this year. He’s still a puppy, and that’s the hard part to keep remembering. Think about when a guy really comes into his own — 25, 27. He’s still got some big upside. It’s going to happen.”

It’s already happening for Bogaerts, even if it hasn’t been as instantaneous as it was for, say, Nationals slugger Bryce Harper or transcendent Angels megastar Mike Trout, who ruined the curve for all future can’t-miss phenoms who reach the big leagues before the tender age of 21.

The fact is, the things Bogaerts is doing now are exactly what Lord envisioned when he first saw him in 2009.

“There were too many tools not to say, ‘Hey, this is one kid we’ve got to go for,’” recalled Lord, now coaching high-school baseball in Jupiter, Fla. “Still, it’s hard to jump from 16 years old to this guy’s going to play shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. It’s almost like having a 12-year-old kid and saying, ‘This kid’s going to be a movie star.’”

It’s even harder in Aruba, hardly fertile ground for big league prospects. Unlike California or Texas, where as Lord says, “There’s a lot of hot chicks and baseball players,” most high-school-age Arubans play only 20-30 games per year mostly during the day, as Bogaerts recently noted, and often on fields that aren’t well-manicured. The pace of play can be glacial, Lord said, with seven innings often lasting 31⁄2 hours.

So in evaluating Bogaerts, Lord paid as much attention to the “extra stuff” — the bright smile and friendly interaction with teammates, even his manners — as the talent. And when Bogaerts struggled in his first everyday exposure to the big leagues, Lord knew him well enough to remain confident he would overcome.

“He went through a stretch where he was really struggling, and I sent him a few texts,” Lord said. “I told him, ‘This game’s really hard.’ And what I love is that he’s very intellectual and intelligent enough to make big adjustments. Normally you sign a guy and there’s a few boxes unchecked, like, ‘Man, I hope this comes through.’ With Xander, the more you were around him, the more you liked him.”

Bogaerts looks and sounds more confident than a year ago, even displaying a self-deprecating sense of humor about the depths of his struggles last year. Asked Sunday about getting the biggest hit in the Sox’ seven-run eighth inning, by far their best offensive outburst of the season, he cracked, “Normally I’m the guy that gets the last out or kills the inning, so it’s good to be on the positive side.”

And Bogaerts’ baseball acumen gets better every day. In the eighth inning Sunday, he waited for a down-and-in changeup, a pitch that has been his personal Kryptonite, because past experience and video study told him A’s closer Tyler Clippard throws at least one per at-bat.

After getting five consecutive fastballs, Bogaerts finally got the changeup and didn’t miss it, lining a two-run Wall double for a 5-4 lead.

Point is, Bogaerts is playing, looking and acting like the All-Star shortstop the Red Sox always believed he will be, if not this year than in future seasons.

“Last year he was having a hard time doing some things, but the kid never stopped working,” slugger David Ortiz said. “He’s understanding all the demands that the game has. I’m not surprised the way he’s playing, and I know he’s going to get even better. He hasn’t walked into his prime yet. He’s going to be an amazing player.”

It’s happening.

Just be patient.