BOSTON — While no decision has been made, it appears Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman is likely headed to the injured list.
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but yes,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said prior to the Red Sox’s 6-5 walk-off win in Game 1 of their doubleheader on Saturday vs. the Orioles.
Bregman, Boston’s most consistent player in his first season with the team, left Friday’s win over Baltimore in the bottom of the fifth inning with right quad tightness.
Cora said Bregman, who was scheduled to undergo an MRI before the start of the first game on Saturday, felt worse than he had expected when he arrived at the clubhouse that morning.
“I saw him this morning,” Cora said. “He was like, ‘It’s worse than I thought.’ So let’s see what the MRI shows and we’ll go from there.”
Entering Saturday’s games, Bregman was leading American League third basemen with a .553 slugging percentage, a .385 on-base percentage, 35 RBIs and 17 doubles. He was also tied for first among AL third basemen with 11 home runs and third with a .299 average.
He injured his leg when he turned at first base on a single to left field, immediately signaling to the dugout that there was an issue. Nick Sogard moved from first base to third, replacing Bregman in Friday’s 19-5 win over the Orioles, and Sogard was in the starting lineup at third base for Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Losing Bregman for an extended time will not be easy.
“We’ll be OK. Obviously, it’s a big part of our offense,” Cora said. “We just got to find ways to score runs in a different way. And we’re prepared for that. Obviously, a different look in the lineup today because of [Bregman’s] knee. We’ll probably mix and match a little more, be more aggressive in certain areas, pinch-hitting and all that, but we got to get to work. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. That’s the nature of the business.”
Boston has several in-house options to take Bregman’s palce if a trip to the IL is indeed needed. In addition to Sogard, some others are Cedanne Rafaela (“in case of emergency,” Cora said), Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer, their highly prized prospect, who has played four games (31 innings) at third base for Triple-A Worcester this season.
“There’s a lot of guys in the conversation” Cora said. “Roster construction comes into play, with guys in the Minor Leagues, how they’d fit the roster, all that stuff. There’s a lot of conversations.
“Sogie’s playing third [today]. There’s a few guys that have experience over there, so we’ll mix and match. Obviously if [Bregman] goes on the IL, that comes into play, and versatility and roster construction comes into play. I’ve been saying that since Spring Training, the first day. So, we’ll see where we’re at and we’ll play. I think now it’s more about mixing and matching, if he goes on the IL for a while.”
One of those options, however, will not be Rafael Devers, Boston’s three-time All-Star and former third baseman before Bregman’s arrival this offseason.
After some controversy in Spring Training, Devers accepted a move to DH. He had two homers and a career-high eight RBIs in Friday’s game. He is one homer shy of tying Jim Rice (213) for the most home runs in Red Sox history by a player 28 years old or younger. In 20 May games, Devers has 28 RBIs, slashing .419/.517/.757 and leading the Majors in RBIs, average, on-base percentage and OPS over that stretch, as well as leading the AL in slugging.
“Raffy hit as a third baseman, he’s hit before,” Cora said. “So, this is nothing new for us. Just — we made a decision in the offseason, right? And this is where we’re going. There were a few things that we took into consideration, and I think we’ve been very consistent with it, right? I’m not going to react to the outside world because people think that’s the right move. Maybe it’s not. Maybe we’re doing it right. Maybe we’re doing it wrong. I don’t know. I know the guy is raking.
“He’s the best DH in the American League right now. If he keeps [continuing] to do this, he’s going to be in the All-Star Game as a DH, he’s going to win a Sliver Slugger as a DH. So, we’re where at right now, this is where we’re going. We made a decision and we’ll continue to talk. I’m not saying we’re going to close the door and all that, you know, but we feel very comfortable with Raffy Devers as the DH.”
