Alex Cora provides updates on several Red Sox injuries
Third baseman Alex Bregman has resumed hitting and will begin fielding this weekend as he recovers from a quad strain.
It’s no secret the Red Sox have been missing several players due to injury this season.
From third baseman Alex Bregman to relief pitcher Justin Slaten, Boston remains thin in some areas with the All-Star break inching closer.
Manager Alex Cora offered updates on players’ recovery timelines, rehab assignment dates, and more ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park.
Alex Bregman
Bregman has said recently that he’s recovering well from a quad strain he suffered on May 23. He even floated the idea of returning to the diamond before MLB’s All-Star break next month, but manager Alex Cora said on Wednesday that it’s unlikely Bregman will be back before the break.
Therefore, the earliest he could return would be July 18 against the Chicago Cubs.
Until then, Cora said Bregman has resumed hitting and will begin fielding on Saturday (via MassLive’s Christopher Smith). Earlier this month, the player started his running program and appears to have been cleared to resume baseball activities, marking the next step in his recovery.
“He’s progressing very well,” Cora said of Bregman. “No timetable yet.
“I don’t think he’s pushing faster than what he can,” he added. “I think he’s pushing because he feels good. So we just have to be patient and be smart about it and whenever he’s ready, he’s ready.”
Tanner Houck
Since landing on the injured list on May 14 due to a right flexor pronator strain, Tanner Houck has slowly worked his way through recovery. He struggled mightily with the Red Sox in nine starts before his injury, logging an 8.04 ERA across 43 ⅔ innings. Houck allowed 10 home runs and 17 walks with a 0-3 record.
He has pitched in two games with the Worcester Red Sox, and he has struggled. Houck owns a 16.88 ERA in 2 ⅔ innings pitched. He’s recorded two strikeouts and has suffered the loss in each appearance.
Cora told reporters Friday that Houck will pitch out of the bullpen in his next outing on Sunday, but that the decision isn’t indicative of any changes down the road.
“Sunday there’s going to be an opener and he’s going to come in from the bullpen,” Cora said (via the Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo). “This doesn’t have to do with the future, it’s kind of like a change of scenery to see if we can get him going.”
Justin Slaten
Slaten played an important role on the 2025 Red Sox before suffering right shoulder inflammation and landing on the injured list on June 1. He was Boston’s go-to set-up man who would pave the way for closer Aroldis Chapman.
Slaten has been shut down for nearly one month since the injury. However, Cora said the right-hander is slated to resume throwing on Saturday, 28 days after beginning his stint on the IL (via Smith).
“(Slaten is) feeling better so that’s the start of that,” Cora said of the hurler’s recovery (via Smith).
Boston’s bullpen has been taxed for some time, and that has only exacerbated since Slaten’s injury. Several relievers, including Brennan Bernardino, have been overused this season despite it only being June.
Masataka Yoshida
It sounds like Boston’s former designated hitter will return to the field soon.
No, not Rafael Devers – rather, Masataka Yoshida.
Yoshida has yet to make his season debut as he heals from a right shoulder injury that has caused him several setbacks since undergoing surgery in October last year.
However, he has been seen playing catch and taking hacks at Fenway Park in recent weeks as he works his way back. Cora said Yoshida is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday, though it’s unclear how long it will take before he returns to the big-league club (via The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey).
“It’s been a little bit longer than I expected,” Yoshida said of his recovery via a translator Friday.” My goal was to be ready by Opening Day when I got the surgery, but it’s been a long process. Overall, I think I’m in good shape and ready to go.
The 31-year-old slugger is also expected to play the outfield during his rehab stint, according to Cora. Following the Devers trade earlier this month, Cora said the Red Sox could platoon Yoshida and Rob Refsnyder at the DH position as the team looks to fill Devers’s shoes.
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