Red Sox's Alex Bregman Gets Predicted Injury Return Timeline From Boston Insider

Everything changed when Alex Bregman went down.

It's crazy to say that a .500 record was an accomplishment for this Boston Red Sox team, but they were 26-26 after the game in which Bregman strained his right quad. Since then, they're 6-10, and nearly all of their losses could have turned into wins with one more clutch hit.

Bregman got hurt in the final week of May, and based on the timeline for his return in 2021, when he sustained a similar injury, Red Sox fans might have thought they wouldn't see him until late July or early August.

However, according to MLB.com Red Sox beat reporter Ian Browne, the 31-year-old third baseman is recovering quickly, and is reportedly targeting a return in early July, which would be a massive development.

"When Alex Bregman went down, a lot of people compared it to his injury in 2021, when he missed 10 weeks with that left quad injury," Browne said Tuesday. "Fortunately, the right quad seems to be recovering much better. Bregman is already running.

"I've heard from people that he wants to be back in early July. That would really fuel this team. Now that they have Roman Anthony up, you're finally going to see a Red Sox lineup that's going to be a consistent, everyday lineup with people you expected to be in it."

Bregman, who has an opt-out after this season, was slashing .299/.385/.553 for the Red Sox in 51 games before the injury. He had racked up 3.0 bWAR and was easily on track to start the All-Star Game.

Getting arguably their best player back earlier than expected would do wonders for the Red Sox's morale.

"Bregman, he's just not a guy who's going to take longer than he needs," Browne said. "The guy is the ultimate gamer, so expect him back maybe before the All-Star break."

In the weeks to come, Red Sox fans just have to keep their fingers crossed that all of Bregman's rehab activities continue on a smooth trajectory.