Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman could return sooner than anticipated; calls getting an extension with the club a ‘very high priority’

The Red Sox could have third baseman Alex Bregman back over at the hot corner sooner than anticipated.

“I feel really good," said Bregman to reporters at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon. "Today was the best I’ve felt during the rehab process, the fastest I’d ran, and resumed full baseball activity. This is a lot of weeks ahead of what we predicted.”

Bregman last played on May 23, when he exited the game versus the Orioles following a right quad strain. He suffered the same injury as a member of the Astros and missed 10 weeks of the 2021 season.

The veteran has been rehabbing, and his recovery is putting him in a position to begin a rehab assignment or play in simulated games before rejoining his teammates. He underwent an ultrasound on Sunday, which indicated that Bregman is "healing exceptionally well."

“We’re kind of taking it day by day,” Bregman said. “Because obviously you don’t want to rush it too much, but we’re very far ahead of where we thought we’d be at this point. We’ve got a lot of running on the agenda this week,” he continued. “The biggest thing with this is just being able to run at high speed without thinking about it and being able to play baseball freely.”

Less than a week ago, Alex Cora said that Bregman was likely to return following the All-Star break. 

“It’s Week 5. We’ll reassess the situation Week 6 and then from there, we’ll probably have a better idea when he’s going to come back,” Cora said at Fenway Park on Friday before the start of their series with the Blue Jays.

Bregman thinks that he could return sooner.

“Possibly, we’ll see,” said Bregman.

“He feels great, but obviously we have to be smart about it, but things are trending in the right direction,” said Cora, joking that Bregman is like legendary Red Sox ‘Dirt Dog’ Dustin Pedroia. “If they say 90 percent, take like 15 percent off.”

The Red Sox lineup could desperately use Bregman’s bat. Since trading Rafael Devers in the surprise Father’s Day swap that sent four players back to Boston, the Sox are 4-8 and have scored three runs or less in four of their last five games. They did score 15 runs on Saturday against the Blue Jays but have only scored seven runs in the other four contests.

Prior to his injury, the Sox’ third baseman was hitting .299 with 11 homers, 17 doubles, 35 RBI, 22 walks, and 1 stolen base, and he recorded a .938 OPS in 51 games.

Bregman’s top priority right now is getting healthy and getting back on the field. While he’s focused on getting back into the lineup, he also wouldn’t mind having a discussion with the Red Sox about staying with the club long-term.

The 31-year-old is able to opt out of his three-year, $120 million deal he signed right before spring training. Bregman reiterated what his agent, Scott Boras, said while the team was on the road last week: he’s willing to sign an extension.

“We’re open to listening to anything that they have to say,” Bregman said Monday.

Bregman controls his own destiny from a free agency perspective with the ability to opt out of his contract after each of the years he signed with the Red Sox.

Over the winter, Bregman wasn’t able to land a long-term contract and wants to stay in Boston.

“That’s definitely a very high priority,” he said.

The Red Sox have money to spend and could spend some of the cash they have in their piggy bank following the Devers trade and sign Bregman.

“I expected to love playing here, and I have definitely loved playing here,” Bregman said. “It’s a great place to play baseball. Being able to play for this organization is awesome.

“My expectations were all very positive, and it’s definitely lived up to those positive expectations.”

Bregman and his family have transitioned into Boston, welcoming their second son; his wife, Reagan, is enrolled in Harvard’s executive business program, and his oldest son, Knox, has ditched the Astros gear for some new Sox swag.

“He’s transitioned great,” Bregman said. “He loves coming here, hitting in the cage, and running around on the field. Going inside the Green Monster yesterday. He’s absolutely loving it. He’s old enough to where he understands it now, so he has loved it.

"We had Bennett a month into the season, so we haven’t really gotten out a ton, but we’ve tried to explore the city. We’ve loved getting to do it in the opportunities that we can."

It’s not truly clear if the Red Sox have approached Boras and Bregman about an extension. With the trade deadline weeks away, the Red Sox would be wise to get a feeling if they can extend Bregman or if they should pivot and trade him come July.

Once healthy, he will give the Red Sox lineup a much-needed shot in the arm. Masataka Yoshida is also working towards returning to the Sox and will begin a rehab assignment in Worcester on Tuesday. Boston is sitting three games below .500 (41-44), and their current middle of the order featuring Roman Anthony, Rob Refsnyder, and Carlos Narváez doesn’t inspire much fear in opposing pitchers.

“Honestly, I’m focused on getting back on the field and helping this team win baseball games,” Bregman said. “Getting back as soon as possible, as healthy as possible, and making a push to get into this race and get into the postseason.

“When I signed here, the first thing I said was that I believed this was a team that could play playoff baseball. I still believe that. I’m focused on getting back, contributing, and helping this team do that.”