Bregman back from IL as 3B forgoes rehab assignment

July 11th, 2025
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      BOSTON -- The Red Sox weathered seven weeks without All-Star third baseman well enough to stay in the thick of the postseason race, and they welcomed their invaluable right-handed hitter, stellar defender and clubhouse leader before Friday's game against the Rays.

      “He'll play this weekend,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He’ll play two of the games [prior to the All-Star break], let’s put it that way.”

      With Bregman slotted second in the lineup tonight, the most logical scenario is for Bregman to rest Saturday and play the final game before the break on Sunday.

      The Red Sox went 26-26 with Bregman and are 23-19 since he went down. His return creates additional excitement for a team that's in the midst of a seven-game winning streak.

      Bregman had another full baseball workout prior to Thursday’s game, taking batting practice and an extensive series of groundballs. He made all the plays look easy, showing no signs of the right quad injury that he suffered on May 23.

      It is unique for a player to miss as much time as Bregman did and not go on a Minor League rehab assignment. But the work he did in recent weeks -- in concert with the training staff -- was done with the intention of skipping that step.

      Masataka Yoshida was activated for his season debut on Wednesday night and smashed three hits after just five games in the Minors.

      “[Bregman] feels good,” said Cora. “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, right? You gain five, six, seven at-bats [with a rehab assignment]. Why not get them here?”

      Bregman will go right back to third base rather than getting his feet wet at DH.

      “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 was off to such a strong start in his first season with the Red Sox that he was named an All-Star reserve last weekend despite missing so much time. Earlier this week, Bregman confirmed he won’t play in the Midsummer Classic but will instead continue the process of strengthening his quad.

      In 51 games and 197 at-bats, Bregman has a slash line of .299/.385/.553 with 17 doubles, 11 homers and 35 RBIs.

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      Supervising Club Reporter Ian Browne has covered the Red Sox for MLB.com since 2002.