Alex

Bregman

Even before the series began, Red Sox manager Alex Cora suggested the team may give Bregman Wednesday off as they continue to manage his return from a quad injury that landed him on the IL earlier in the summer. After losing Monday’s game, it seems like the team backtracked on that and had Bregman in the lineup initially, but he will now take a seat with Abraham Toro starting at third base and Romy Gonzalez playing first base. There is no setback here, and we’d imagine Bregman is available to pinch-hit if the Red Sox need him.

It was the second game in a row in which Bregman hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning or later when he crushed a 418-foot shot off of Simeon Woods-Richardson. He has 14 home runs and 44 RBI on the season and has settled in nicely as the two-hitter behind Roman Anthony.

Bregman changed the game when he hit a hanging slider from Dustin May over the Green Monster for his 13th home run of the season. He now has 41 RBI with a .298/.374/.545 slash line. He has been a tremendous signing for the Red Sox.

After a few weeks of being red-hot, the Red Sox offense has suddenly gone ice cold. Bregman’s run-scoring double in the third inning drove home their final run of the night and they only recorded one hit from that point on against the Dodgers’ bullpen. A week of poor play coming out of the All-Star break could quickly turn them back into sellers before this week’s trade deadline.

Bregman is getting a day of maintenance against Jesus Luzardo and the Philadelphia bullpen. He’ll sit with Marcelo Mayer getting the start at the hot corner and hitting ninth.

Bregman, who still isn’t 100 percent after returning from a quad injury, was out of the lineup today for the second time in six games since coming off the IL. But he made a huge impact, increasing Boston’s lead from one run to four in the top of the eighth. It was his 12th homer in 243 plate appearances this season, and his second in just seven career at-bats as a pinch-hitter. It was also the first homer Drew Pomeranz has surrendered in 31 appearances this season.

It’s notable that Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman are back atop Boston’s lineup after Rafaela hit second on Saturday with Bregman taking a day off. Roman Anthony is locked into the third spot with Masataka Yoshida in the cleanup spot for the first time and Trevor Story hitting fifth. Rafaela — who will split time between center field and second base moving forward — has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball for nearly two months at this juncture and it appears he’ll continue getting opportunities to bat towards the middle of the lineup entering the second half.

It’s become extremely common in recent years for clubs to give a player a quick break following their return from the injured list, especially if they skipped a minor league rehab assignment. Bregman takes a seat on Saturday after going 1-for-4 with a double on Friday in his return to Boston’s lineup following a six-week absence recovering from a quad strain. He’ll likely be back at the hot corner for Sunday’s first-half finale at Fenway Park. It’ll be Marcelo Mayer taking over at third base in this one.

Bregman made an instant impact for Boston in his first game action in nearly six weeks. The 31-year-old third baseman’s return coincides with an extended hot streak for the Red Sox, who no longer look like potential sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.

As expected, Bregman is back for the weekend series against the Rays after missing six weeks with his quad strain. The third baseman is expected to play in two games this weekend, and Friday will be one of them with Bregman lined up at third base and hitting second. Bregman should be back in fantasy lineups now that he’s back for Boston.