Alex Bregman hits first homer for Boston since returning from quad injury
So far, everything is going smoothly.
Bregman played in consecutive games on Friday and Saturday for the first time since he got hurt in May. He was out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Chicago Cubs, but he connected for a big pinch-hit homer in Boston's 6-1 victory.
'We got to be smart,' Bregman said. 'I'm back probably a month and a half, maybe a little less, early than we expected. The leg's feeling great. We're checking in every day pre- and postgame and just monitoring it.'
Bregman is a key player for Boston as it fights for a playoff spot in the last part of the season. The All-Star third baseman, who signed a $120 million, three-year deal with the Red Sox in February, is batting .294 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs in 56 games.
He strained his right quad while running the bases on May 23 against Baltimore. Forgoing a rehab stint in the minors, he returned on July 11 against Tampa Bay.
The homer against the Cubs was his first one since the injury.
'The training staff, the strength and conditioning staff here was amazing in helping me get back quickly and get back fully healthy," Bregman said. "I'm going to trust their plan and stick to that.'
Boston managed just one run while losing the first two games of its weekend series at Chicago. It had a 2-1 lead in the finale when Bregman broke it open with a three-run shot off Drew Pomeranz.
It was Bregman's second career pinch-hit homer, also accomplishing the feat on Sept. 8, 2021, against Seattle.
'The kid did what he usually does,' Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
The 31-year-old Bregman spent most of the game in the batting cage with assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, working on his positioning at the plate.
'After being away for like two months, kind of just standing more vertically and I wasn't starting in the same position,' said Bregman, a two-time World Series champion with Houston. 'So tried to get back in that starting position and then swing from behind the ball. Big credit to our hitting staff for noticing that and helping me out.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tyler Smith: Super Bowl is "realistic goal" for Cowboys
With the launch of training camps comes unbridled optimism, for most teams. Cowboys guard Tyler Smith is feeling that optimism about his own team, even if it's been 30 years since Dallas advanced to the NFC Championship. Asked about his team's goals for 2025, Smith said this, via Todd Archer of "Super Bowl champions. That's always the expectation." It's the expectation for plenty of the 31 teams that eventually won't make it to the top of the mountain. "I think it's a realistic goal, yeah," Smith said. Why is it realistic? "Because we can win a Super Bowl," Smith said. "Why not? Why can't we win? Do you think it's unrealistic?" It's realistic, technically. They are one of the 32 teams that have a chance to do it. Whether they'll be good enough to overcome the elite teams in the NFC and then to outscore the eventual AFC champion is a different issue. "I think we built a great core on offense; the addition of [receiver] George [Pickens] and all the other key pieces," Smith said. "I think drafting [guard Tyler] Booker [in the first round], he's going to be a hell of a guy just to bolster the front line. And we have many guys across the board, but those are some of the guys who are the key pieces on what we do this year." Smith isn't wrong. But there are many variables, starting with health. A rash of injuries can derail expectations. Even if the Cowboys manage to avoid losing key players for extended stretches, can they compete with the likes of the Eagles, Lions, Buccaneers, 49ers, Rams, Commanders, Vikings, Packers? While the team's three decades of Super Bowl futility are irrelevant to whatever happens this year, it's hard to forget about the forgettable seasons. Hovering over all of it is whether the front office can get linebacker Micah Parsons's contract situation resolved. Even if he shows up on Monday, he likely won't be practicing until a deal is done. And that could be enough to make an early-season win become a loss, with that loss being the difference between winning the division or missing the postseason entirely. They'll have a great opportunity, right out of the gates. They start the season in Philadelphia. Beat the Eagles, and they'll be on their way. Either way, there will still be 16 more games to go. Which will include contests against all teams from the NFC North (which sent three teams to the postseason in 2024) and the AFC West (which did the same). How realistic their chances are in January will depend directly on what they do from September through December. Still, July is the time for seeing the glass as half full. Even if, yet again, it comes up empty.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Majors-best Tigers end 6-game skid with All-Star Tarik Skubal's strong start
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — It was naturally a superb start by Tarik Skubal that resulted in a 2-1 Detroit Tigers win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday night that ended a season-worst six-game losing streak for the team with the best record in the major leagues. However, Skubal didn't get credit for the victory. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner and starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game cruised into the seventh inning with a two-hit shutout and a tenuous 1-0 lead. He left with runners at the corners and two outs, and the Rangers' Adolis García scored on a wild pitch by Tyler Holton. But Detroit's Matt Vierling hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning, and Will Vest entered in the eighth and got four straight outs — against the top four batters in Texas' order — for his 16th save for the Tigers (60-40). Skubal left the park still with 10 wins (one shy of the AL lead), 164 strikeouts (one behind Boston's Garrett Crochet) and a 2.19 ERA (tied with Crochet for the best in the American League). 'We're the first to 60, right? That matters more (than his personal stats),' Skubal said. 'We just haven't particularly been playing our best baseball, I don't think, for the last couple weeks. That's just part of the season. Not from lack of effort or anything like that. But I knew I wanted to win today. I expect every time I go out there to put our team in position to win, and we were able to do that.' Skubal struck out 11 and walked none in his seventh double-digit strikeout game this season. His final batter was a strikeout of Jonah Heim that left him at 105 pitches, three short of his career high. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Skubal 'emptied his tank' on the Heim at-bat and made the pitching change to avoid overworking him. 'If we're going anywhere (this season), we're going with him,' Hinch said. Two of Texas' four hits off Skubal were by Corey Seager, the lone left-handed hitter in the starting lineup against the lefty Skubal. Seager went 2 for 3 off Skubal, improving to 8 for 12 in his career. Skubal said he asked Seager during last year's All-Star festivities: 'Bro, how do I get you out? Can you tell me?' Seager, Skubal said, politely declined and claimed not to see the ball well when hitting against him. 'When he's right, the stuff he does at the dish, the best in the league,' Skubal said. Skubal is again among the best in baseball on the mound. He did his part in ending what was the majors' longest active losing streak, even without getting a personal W. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Legendary UC track and field and cross county coach Bill Schnier dies at 80, leaving legacy of compassion
Legendary University of Cincinnati track coach Bill Schnier died at 80, leaving behind a legacy of excellence. Former athletes remember him as a father figure whose impact extended beyond the track.
