The Boston Red Sox began a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles with a doubleheader at Fenway Park on Friday. Unfortunately, disaster didn't take long to strike Alex Cora's lineup.
The Red Sox were dealt a massive blow during the bottom of the fifth inning when star third baseman Alex Bregman was forced to leave the game early due to injury. In the video below (h/t @TalkinBaseball_), Bregman suffered an apparent lower-body injury when rounding first base after hitting a long single off the Green Monster.
Bregman was assisted off the field by Red Sox manager Alex Cora, and was repalced by Abraham Toro for the remainder of the game.
Red Sox Lose Alex Bregman to Injury in Game 1 of Doubleheader vs. Orioles
It's still too early for the Red Sox to know the severity of Bregman's injury, only adding to the concern surrounding the situation. An injury of any length is the last thing Boston needs after signing the two-time World Series-winning infielder to a massive three-year, $120 million contract back in February.
The Red Sox have already lost first baseman Triston Casas, who is out for the year with a knee injury, and fellow 1B Romy Gonzalez reportedly suffered a setback in his recovery earlier this week. That's without mentioning Masataka Yoshida's seemingly never-ending rehab or the various pitchers (Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, etc.) currently sidelined.
Having said that, none of the aforementioned names have been as crucial to Boston's success this season as Bregman.
Before Friday's doubleheader, Bregman was living up to expectations in Year 1 of his Red Sox contract. The former Louisiana State product was slashing .297/.381/.554 with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, 21 walks, and a 3.0 WAR in his first 50 games (195 at-bats), and likely be in the running for the American League MVP award if it wasn't for New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge's ridiculous campaign.
Red Sox fans will have a better idea of Bregman's outlook before the weekend is over. Hopefully, he doesn't miss too much time, or else Boston's championship outlook could plummet, especially when his situation is combined with the club's other injuries.
For now, the Red Sox are tied for the 10th-best 2025 World Series odds (+2600) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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