Red Sox’ Alex Bregman ready to return from injury, but when?

The Boston Red Sox are one of the hottest teams in baseball. They have won seven consecutive games and nine of their last ten, moving to 50-45. They have done that without one of their important veteran bats for over a month. Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman is set to return from injury soon, but Alex Cora does not have a firm return date.

“He's going to hit, take grounders, then we'll decide what we do. He'll play this weekend,” Cora told ESPN. “He's in a great place and we're going to trust the player… My biggest concern is the defensive part of it: the nine innings out there, going into the dugout, going back and forth, the popup down the line, the bunts and all that, but he has checked almost every box.”

The Red Sox are not going to send Bregman to a rehab assignment. He could play as early as Friday against the Rays, which would be his first game since May 24. Although Bregman was named an All-Star, he won't be playing in Atlanta because of the injury. That will give him a few days to recover after his first run back in the lineup.

The Red Sox are a very different team since the last time Bregman manned the hot corner. Rafael Devers is now on the San Francisco Giants, and the young prospects are the stars now. Bregman is now the veteran tasked with leading a young squad through a playoff chase.

The Red Sox won their first game against the Rays on Thursday to extend their winning streak to seven games. Hunter Dobbins will get the ball for Boston and could have Bregman behind him at third base. It would be a huge lift for Boston as they jockey with the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Rays for postseason position.