Though not as close as Masataka Yoshida.
With the Red Sox finally finding some momentum as they head into the All-Star break (boy, it sure is nice to play two of the worst teams in the league back-to-back, isn’t it!) it’s a great time for the team’s best all-around player to return. Alex Bregman, who has missed over six weeks with a quad strain, says he feels ready to play and hopes to be back real soon, potentially as early as the end of this week. Regardless of whether he gets back into the lineup in time for the final series of the first half against the Rays, he will skip the All-Star Game itself. (Matty Wasserman, Boston Globe)
When Bregman does return, where will that leave Marcelo Mayer, who has been the primary third baseman since Bregman went down? It’s unclear, but Mayer’s struggles against left-handed pitching suggest that he’ll likely continue in a platoon role at the very least. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Unlike Mayer, it doesn’t look like fellow rookie Roman Anthony will be getting many days off, though. He’s already proven himself ready for an everyday role. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
Masataka Yoshida will likely be back even earlier than Bregman, with Wednesday (aka tomorrow) being targeted as his return date. Yoshida went 4-14 with two walks and two strikeouts, mostly as a DH, over the course of his five-game rehab stint. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
As for pitching injuries, the Red Sox increased depth has helped through the losses of Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck, as well as the early season injuries to Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito. But do they need to rethink some components of their pitching program with an eye towards reducing injuries going forward? (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
And here’s something more fun than injuries (though, everything is more fun than injuries). The Savannah Bananas were at Fenway this past weekend, along with Bill Lee, Johnny Damon, Jackie Bradley, Jr., and others. If you didn’t get a chance to go, here are some of highlights you missed. (Connor Ryan, Boston.com)