BOSTON — The Red Sox have felt like star third baseman Alex Bregman has been getting close to returning to their lineup for weeks. Now, that return is officially imminent.
Bregman will be activated in the coming days and play in two of Boston’s three games against the Rays between Friday and Sunday, according to manager Alex Cora. It’s possible Bregman could be activated as soon as Friday night.
“He’s gonna hit, take grounders, then we’ll decide what we do,” said Cora. “He’ll play this weekend.”
Bregman, who has been out with a right quad strain since May 24, went through a full workout on the Fenway Park field before Thursday’s series opener against Tampa Bay. He will return without having gone on a minor league rehab assignment, which is somewhat unusual after a six-week absence. The Red Sox are confident in the All-Star’s ability to return seamlessly without needing at-bats at Triple-A.
“He feels good,” Cora said. “We talked about Masa (Yoshida), the gap between Triple-A and the big leagues. Physically, he has done everything here. We trust the at-bat, we trust him. We’re gonna roll with it.
“You gain, I don’t know, five, six or seven at-bats, so why not get them here? We trust the at-bats, both of them, they’re really good. They’re patient hitters who are not gonna chase too many pitches.”
Bregman has been pain-free for weeks and has worked to strengthen the affected muscles through running drills at Fenway, even while the team has been on the road. The Red Sox will be able to break him back into the mix with two games before the four-day All-Star break, which starts Monday.
Cora expects Bregman to play all nine innings at third base in both games in which he plays.
“He’s in a great place and we’re going to trust the player…,” Cora said. “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, but he has checked almost every box.”
The Red Sox will have to make a roster move to accommodate Bregman’s return. It’s likely either Marcelo Mayer (who has filled in for Bregman at third since the injury) or David Hamilton will be sent down to Triple-A Worcester to make room. For weeks, the prevailing thought was that Mayer would shift to second base when Bregman returned. But Mayer has posted a .594 OPS in his last 15 games dating back to June 20 and is not starting against left-handed starters. Cora continues to deflect questions about Mayer’s immediate positional future, suggesting the Red Sox are — as MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported earlier this week — considering sending Mayer down so he can play everyday in Worcester.
“We’ll make decisions whenever Alex is back,” Cora said.
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