Red Sox's Alex Bregman Recovering At 'Warp Speed,' But Is It Already Too Late?

Everything is going wrong for the Boston Red Sox, and it all started when Alex Bregman hit the injured list.

Though the Red Sox were a fairly frustrating team through 53 games, they were barely above .500 at 27-26. Then, just after Rafael Devers' walk-off single against the Baltimore Orioles on May 24, Bregman's quad strain was deemed bad enough that he'd have to head to the IL.

Ever since, the Red Sox are 2-8. They've lost five games by one run in that time frame and three in extra innings. Tuesday night felt like another major low point, as they dropped the series against the lowly Los Angeles Angels, 4-3 in 10 innings.

Because Bregman had a quad issue in 2021 that cost him two months, it was reasonable to guess at first that the recovery timeline would be about the same. But the Red Sox got a much-needed positive update on Tuesday, just as Bregman's teammates were embarrassing themselves on the field.

Bregman told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that his recovery is going at "warp speed" and "about 10 times better" than he was expecting.

“It was the exact same thing, but it’s just going really well. So keep plugging along,” Bregman said, referring to the 2021 injury. “Obviously, got to respect the injury, but it’s been healing extremely fast, and just got to keep making strides every day and hopefully be back sooner than later.”

Bregman also said he's been doing various treatments a combined eight to 10 hours a day. There is still no timetable for his return, but if Boston could get him back sometime this month, or even a week or two before the All-Star break, it has to be considered a win based on the initial prognosis.

Of course, Bregman's potential opt-out after the season adds a wrinkle to the entire situation. If he comes back soon, plays his tail off, and the team still misses the playoffs, he could be as good as gone.

And if the Red Sox are out of the playoff hunt by the end of July, when the trade deadline comes around... it's almost too embarrassing to think about.

Regardless, it's nice to have a glimmer of hope as everything else seems to be crumbling.