The Boston Red Sox have not had much to feel good about this season, as the team that was expected to fight for a playoff spot and possibly contend for the American League East title has fallen to fourth place in the division. After a halting start, the team has fallen into a deep hole following the quad injury suffered by third baseman Alex Bregman.
The former Houston Astro was signed by the Red Sox to a free agent contract shortly before the start of spring training. He had performed brilliantly for manager Alex Cora before suffering the injury in mid-May. The injury is expected to keep Bregman out for two months, but recent reports indicated that he was recovering at “warp speed.”
His recovery took another positive step as Bregman began a running program Thursday. That is clearly a positive step for the dynamic infielder who had already bashed 11 homer runs and driven in 35 runs at the time of the injury.
No update has been provided on a specific date as to when he could come off the injured list, but the fact that he can run without any further incident is clearly something that gives the team hope.
Red Sox have fallen apart without Bregman
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Boston is starting its first series of the year with the New York Yankees Friday night, and the Red Sox come into the series having lost 8 of their past 12 games. The team has struggled badly on defense and made notable mistakes on the base paths.
However, the biggest issue has been the team's failure at the plate. The Red Sox have had multiple opportunities to register big innings, but the collective inability of the lineup to deliver run-scoring hits has resulted in numerous one-run defeats. Boston has already lost 17 one-run games this year.
Controversy has also impacted the team and it's inability to win on a consistent basis. After Bregman was signed, veteran slugger Rafael Devers was told he would not need his glove any longer because he would be the team's designated hitter and not its third baseman. Devers ultimately accepted the role, but when first baseman Triston Casas got injured, he told the team he would not pick up a first baseman's mitt and learn to play the position.
After Bregman got hurt, it would have seemed natural to put Devers back at third base, but that has not happened either. While Devers has hit the ball very well, his reputation as a team player has been under attack.
Players like Trevor Story and Wilyer Abreu have fallen apart at the plate in recent weeks and former All-Star Jarren Duran has not supplied the consistency he had a year ago when the won the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.
