Alex Bregman and everyone else attached to the Red Sox will have to wait to see how the third baseman’s tight right quadriceps feels when he wakes up Saturday before knowing if Friday’s injury is a minor setback or serious enough to warrant imaging tests and a potential stint on the injured list.
Bregman is leaning toward the less-serious scenario.
“We’ll see what [Saturday] brings but actually I’m positive from what I initially thought,” said Bregman after the Red Sox’ 19-5 victory over the visiting Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader.
He said he’s hopeful he can avoid going on the IL.
“Hopefully, I sleep good and [Saturday] it feels great.”
No MRIs were currently scheduled.
“We’ll just see how it presents and take the next step there, just kind of follow the training staff, their lead,” said Bregman. “But right now it’s just quad tightness.”
The injury came on a fifth-inning single off the Wall.
“I was rounding first base and digging to go to second and I kind of felt my quad grab, so I didn’t continue running to second base for the double,” he said. “I just kind of stopped and came back to the bag so I wouldn’t make it any worse. After I felt it I knew I needed to come out and see the trainer.”
Alex Bregman exits the game after awkwardly rounding first on this play ⬇️
Abraham Toro in to replace him pic.twitter.com/ER5ImamqaY
— NESN (@NESN) May 23, 2025
Abraham Toro came on to take his place as the baserunner, then stayed in the game at first base after Nick Sogard moved over to third for the top of sixth.
Campbell in a slump
Elite production elevated Kristian Campbell into the heart of the Red Sox order. Profound struggles have now led him back to the bottom of it.
Campbell was the AL Rookie of the Month in April after posting an impressive .301/.407/.495 line while combining loud contact with strong strike zone management, traits that led manager Alex Cora to elevate him from sixth in the Opening Day lineup to cleanup by May 4.
But at that point, Campbell started to sink into a rookie funk from which he’s struggled to emerge. He entered Friday with a .094/.127/.151 line in May along 18 strikeouts and just two walks. Consequently, in recent days, he’s moved back in the lineup — batting fifth from May 14-21, before being dropped to eighth for the first game of Friday’s doubleheader. He went 0 for 4 with two walks and two runs.
“Just give him some breathing room,” Cora said of Campbell’s lineup descent. “He’s shown some emotions lately, slamming the bat, throwing harder to first base, slamming the helmet . . . [It’s] just a kid learning.
“He shows up with the same energy every day, willing to work, understanding that he’s going through a lot and learning on the fly because he doesn’t have too much experience. I always say it’s not Four-A, it’s MLB. The letters are different. So we just have to keep working.”
At a time when Campbell is trying to regain his footing as a hitter, he’s also getting a crash course in learning to play first base. Though his batting struggles predate the work he’s been doing at first base (which started May 16), have the Red Sox considered pulling back on Campbell’s education at a new position in hopes of allowing him more time to make sense of hitting in the big leagues?
“No. [Getting Campbell ready to play first base is] part of what we’re trying to accomplish as a group,” said Cora. “It’s going to make us better if he’s able to handle that.”
Fitts finds building block
Righthander Richard Fitts viewed his rehab outing Thursday for Double A Portland — in which he tossed three scoreless innings, allowing four hits (all singles), and no walks while striking out two — as a solid building block.
“I was happy with it,” said Fitts. “It was a great one to build off of.”
Fitts said he was 95-96 miles per hour in the first inning, then tailed off to 93-95 by the third inning of work in his first game outing since April 12. He expects to have a rehab outing Tuesday with Triple A Worcester, at which point he’ll be evaluated.
Progress for Houck
Righthander Tanner Houck, on the injured list since May 14 with a flexor pronator strain, resumed throwing Friday . . . Lefthanders Chris Murphy (Tommy John surgery in 2024) and Zach Penrod (left elbow strain, out since spring training) are both throwing live batting practice sessions in Fort Myers, Fla. . . . The Red Sox released WooSox first baseman Alex Binelas. Binelas, 24, was acquired along with Jackie Bradley Jr. and David Hamilton in the trade that sent outfielder Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee after the 2021 season.
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