BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman’s first game back with the Red Sox since late May had a dramatic flair to it.
Bregman went 1 for 4 with a double off the Green Monster as the Red Sox rallied for their eighth straight win when Ceddanne Rafaela's ninth inning homer lifted them over the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Friday night.
Boston manager Alex Cora said after the game that there are ground rules in place to make sure the All-Star third baseman doesn’t suffer a setback after missing 43 games with a quad strain.
Bregman won’t play on Saturday as the team is taking a long-range view with a player who was sidelined since May 24 when he sustained an injury that occurred when he rounded first base and felt his quad tighten up to the point where leaving the game was the best option.
A clear indication of the restrictions placed on Bregman came in the fifth inning Friday night when he hit a sharp grounder to third base but didn’t hustle down the line.
“When he hits a groundball, he’s not going to go all-out to first,” Cora said. “It might look bad, but we need him healthy and we’re going to keep him healthy.”
It’s a new reality that figures to take some getting used to, since Bregman is known for being a foot-on-the-gas-pedal-at-all-times ballplayer.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Bregman said. “But the first few weeks especially, just got to be smart out of the box. When I first got out there, my legs weighed like five pounds. Later in the game, it felt like they weighed a little more than that."
Bregman returned to his customary spot in the field and was slotted in the No. 2 spot of Boston’s lineup for the second of a four-game series against the Rays. A two-time World Series winner who spent the first nine seasons of his big league career with the Houston Astros, Bregman signed a $120 million, three-year contract in February.
At the time of the injury, he was hitting .299 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs. Those numbers led to Bregman being named an American League All-Star for the third time.
Earlier this week, Bregman said he was trending in a direction where he didn’t believe he would require a minor league rehab assignment. With three games left before the All-Star break, the Red Sox clearly agreed that the time was right to reinstate a player to a team that entered Friday in possession of one of the AL’s three wild-card berths.
“My body feels good. Super thankful to the training staff and strength and conditioning staff for allowing me to get back this quick,” said Bregman. “Initially, we thought it would be more like 12 weeks. To get back in seven weeks is awesome, but we’ve got to take it slow. On the days we’re not playing, we’re going to make sure my full hip complex is staying strong and my hamstrings and quads are good.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Brendan Mcgair, The Associated Press