Just 11 days ago, the Red Sox seemed to be in a secure spot in the AL East playoff picture. At 81-65, they sat only a game behind the Yankees for the top wild-card slot and held comfortable cushions over the Rangers (five games) and Guardians (six games), the nearest teams on the outside looking in.
Since then, however, Cleveland has surged with eight straight victories and 13 wins in its last 14, while Boston has stumbled, hampered by injuries—most notably to rookie leadoff hitter Roman Anthony. The Sox have dropped five of their last eight contests and now find themselves clinging to the third wild-card position, just 1.5 games clear of the Guardians, leaving their postseason hopes in real jeopardy.
Still, Alex Bregman isn’t worried. The slugger believes not only that Boston will make the playoffs, but that the team will be a serious threat once it gets there.
Alex Bregman: Struggles ‘Could Be a Really Good Thing’
After Boston’s 11-7 win over the Rays on Friday, Alex Bregman offered a different perspective on the team’s recent struggles. Instead of viewing them as setbacks, he suggested they could actually help the Red Sox once the postseason begins, when adversity is unavoidable and finding ways to win matters most. Bregman also emphasized that he fully expects Boston to be part of the playoff field.
“It could turn out to be a positive,” Bregman said. “The past few games hadn’t really gone our way, and it felt like we weren’t doing much. But I was saying earlier, that might end up being a really good thing for us going forward.
“Our mentality isn’t just about getting into the playoffs—it’s about performing well once we’re there and extending our season another month. For us, it’s all about getting back to playing our best brand of baseball consistently. That’s why I think these last few days could help us; we can learn from them. And I really believe this team is ready to take off.”
Red Sox Getting Wilyer Abreu Back
Boston’s biggest problem lately has been its erratic offense, though it came alive Friday with a seven-run eighth inning at Fenway. According to Bregman, the lineup put together far better at-bats in that game, and maintaining that approach will be key through the weekend and into the season’s final stretch.
Reinforcements could be on the way, too. Outfielder Wilyer Abreu is set to return after missing a month with a calf injury. While he may need some time to shake off the rust, he was batting .253 with 22 homers before going down.
Abreu has already rejoined the club in Tampa, and manager Alex Cora said the team will evaluate when to officially activate him: “We’ll decide what we’re going to do.”
