Red Sox Activate Alex Bregman From 10-Day IL, Returns Against Rays
Alex Bregman is officially back.
The Boston Red Sox’s star third baseman returned to the lineup for Friday’s series opener versus the Tampa Bay Rays after being activated from the 10-day injured list. He last played on May 23rd against the Baltimore Orioles before suffering a right quad injury.
They also reinstated right-hander Hunter Dobbins from the IL prior to first pitch. To make room for both players, infielder David Hamilton and fellow righty Isaiah Campbell were optioned to Triple-A Worcester.
The plan is for Bregman to play in two of the remaining three games against the Rays, according to manager Alex Cora. That likely means he’ll receive a day off on Saturday before returning for Sunday’s series finale ahead of the All-Star break.
“[Bregman] feels good,” Cora told reporters Thursday, including MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “We talk about the gap between Triple-A and the big leagues. Physically, he’s done everything here. So we trust the at-bat, we trust him. We’re gonna roll with it. Very similar to Masa [Yoshida], right? You gain five, six, seven at-bats [with a rehab assignment]. Why not get them here?”
Though Bregman opted to skip a minor-league rehab assignment, the three-time All-Star spent the last several weeks working with Boston’s training staff, maintaining the sole goal of returning as quickly as possible. He went through a full workout on the field pre-game Thursday, checking every box along the way.
There will likely be a bit of a feeling-out process, though, given how much time the 31-year-old has missed. But the team feels confident about the progress he’s made since landing on the IL nearly two months ago.
Bregman batted second and started at third base in his return from the IL, immediately throwing him straight into the fire following his extended absence. The 31 year old would end up going 1 for 4 in his team’s 5-4 win over their AL East rivals.
“My biggest concern is the defensive part of it, the nine innings out there, going into the dugout, going back and forth, the pop-up down the line, the bunts and all that,” said Cora. “But he’s checked almost every box. We’ve still got today, but he feels like he’s in a great place and we’re going to trust the player.”
Bregman’s return brings a massive jolt to the Red Sox’s lineup amidst their MLB-leading eight-game winning streak, which they’ll attempt to extend Saturday at Fenway Park.
Prior to injuring his quad, the right-handed-hitting infielder had been tearing the cover off the ball to begin his tenure with the franchise, hitting .299/.385/.553 with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs and a 156 wRC+ (100 league average) in 51 games. He backed those impressive results with eye-popping hard-hit (48.1%) and barrel rates (10.3%), both of which would be career-highs over a full season.
The 2024 Gold Glove winner also stabilized the club’s defence at the hot corner, registering plus-five defensive runs saved and plus-one outs above average and fielding run value each over 446.2 innings.
Offensively, the Red Sox desperately needed someone to step up during Bregman’s absence, and Ceddanne Rafaela has certainly risen to the occasion, supplying 10 home runs and 24 RBIs with a .328/.362/.642 slash line and 173 wRC+ over his previous 37 games.
Both will look to continue Boston’s torrid stretch for a franchise that heads into the weekend holding an AL wild-card seed after sitting three games out of a playoff spot on June 28th.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Joy. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.