Alex Bregman exits Game 1 of Red Sox’ doubleheader with right quad tightness
"All my strength is still there right now, which is good, so far."
The Red Sox appear to have avoided a nightmare scenario after an injury scare Friday afternoon.
Third baseman Alex Bregman was removed from Game 1 of Boston’s doubleheader against the Orioles after rounding first base on a single in the fifth inning. Bregman recorded a knock off the Green Monster with two outs and the Red Sox down 2-1, but suffered an apparent leg injury after touching first. He called for a trainer and quickly walked off the field to the dugout with a visible limp.
Boston announced that the player experienced right quad tightness shortly after his departure.
Abraham Toro pinch ran for Bregman and entered the field as the Red Sox’ first baseman in the top of the sixth inning. Nick Sogard replaced Bregman at third base defensively, moving over from first.
Boston can’t afford to lose its most consistent and reliable offensive player in Bregman, and it can’t afford to shuffle more players around the diamond. Given Rafael Devers’s unwillingness to give up playing designated hitter, the Red Sox would have to scramble to find a suitable replacement for Bregman if his injury were to be serious.
Fortunately for the club, Bregman told reporters after the game that he doesn’t think his injury is severe.
“No idea,” Bregman said when asked if he thinks he’ll have to go on the injured list. “It’s just day-to-day. I feel like we’ll know a lot more tomorrow, after sleeping and seeing how it presents in the morning. All my strength is still there right now, which is good, so far.
“It’s just kind of a day-to-day thing at this point. Kind of see, when I wake up tomorrow, how it feels. … We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Actually positive from what I initially thought.”
Bregman detailed what happened on the base path upon suffering his ailment.
“I felt my quad grab, so I didn’t continue running to second base for the double,” he explained. “I just kind of stopped and came back to the bag so I wouldn’t make it any worse. After I felt it, I knew I needed to come out and see the trainer.”
After the game, manager Alex Cora confirmed that Bregman will not play in Game 2 of Friday’s doubleheader (postponed due to rain until Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Eastern Time).
Cora also said he isn’t sure if Bregman’s injury will require an injured list stint, or if he just needs time to rest.
“[He’s] just tight,” Cora said. “We’ll see how he comes in tomorrow. He won’t play the second (game of the doubleheader). He’ll get treatment. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
On a brighter note, Bregman’s injury may have helped spark Boston’s offense.
The Red Sox still trailed 2-1 after the fifth inning, but their bats got it going in the sixth. A single by Ceddanne Rafaela tied things up, then a base hit by Jarren Duran gave Boston a 3-2 lead.
Before the end of the frame, the red-hot Devers launched a 408-foot three-run home run to give the team a cushiony 6-2 advantage.
Boston never looked back after that. A 13-run eighth inning (with a position player pitching for Baltimore) paved the way for a 19-5 final score, a total drubbing over a struggling Orioles club.
The Red Sox will hope to see Bregman return to the lineup sometime this weekend against Baltimore.
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