The Boston Red Sox are bracing for some serious lineup reshuffling following a major blow to their infield. Third baseman Alex Bregman, who has been a key offensive and defensive presence in his debut season with Boston, has landed on the 10-day injured list with a significant right quad strain — an injury that manager Alex Cora admitted Saturday will keep Bregman sidelined “for a while.”
“Significant injury,” Cora told reporters following the team’s walk-off 6-5 win in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Orioles. “He’s going to be out for a while.”
Bregman injured his quad after awkwardly rounding first base on a long single off the Green Monster during Friday’s 19-5 rout of Baltimore. Though he remained hopeful in the immediate aftermath, Bregman revealed that the pain intensified later in the evening.
“Last night, couldn’t really fall asleep,” Bregman said. “It’s a pretty severe right quad strain.”
Cora noted the situation could lead to several roster moves as the team looks ahead.
Who will the Red Sox send down, if anyone?
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“There’s going to be guys down for a few days,” Cora said. “We might need to make decisions based on the roster on what we need not only tomorrow but in the upcoming days. But that’s the nature of the business. It sucks but it’s a reality of it.”
That reality includes the call-up of top prospect Marcelo Mayer, who will take Bregman’s spot on the roster and is set to make his Major League debut in Game 2 of the doubleheader. Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, has been thriving with Triple-A Worcester, slashing .271/.337/.481 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs over 43 games this season.
The moment wasn’t lost on the WooSox clubhouse, which reportedly erupted in celebration after hearing the news. Manager Chad Tracy shared how he broke the news to Mayer: “I sat [Marcelo] down and said listen, they called me and they don’t want you to play game two here. Hard for you to play game two here if they want you to play game two at Fenway.”
Mayer, 22, will get a crack at filling the massive void left by Bregman, who was batting .299 with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, and a .938 OPS through 51 games. Bregman, who missed 58 games with a left quad injury in 2021, compared the injuries and confirmed that this one feels familiar.
To make room for Mayer on the 40-man roster, Boston moved first baseman Triston Casas to the 60-day IL following his season-ending knee surgery and designated veteran lefty Sean Newcomb for assignment. Hard-throwing righty Luis Guerrero was also called up to reinforce the bullpen.
Despite the setbacks, the Red Sox remain focused on keeping their momentum rolling and finding ways to stay competitive in the AL East while key players recover.
