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Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman exited Friday afternoon's game against the Baltimore Orioles and was placed on the injured list on Saturday with what manager Alex Cora described as a "significant" right quad injury -- similar to the one that cost him more than two months in 2021. In a corresponding move, the Red Sox promoted top prospect Marcelo Mayer to the majors for his big-league debut. (You can read more about Mayer here.)

Bregman roped a single to left field in the fifth inning, rounded first base, then immediately called for the trainer and exited the game with a slight limp. Bregman told reporters on Saturday that he felt worse than expected. He subsequently underwent an MRI before being placed on the shelf.

Here's the play that saw Bregman hurt himself:

Boston was already without first baseman Triston Casas, who will miss the rest of the season following knee surgery. Utility types Romy Gonzalez (also sidelined for the time being), Nick Sogard, and Abraham Toro have been manning first base since Casas got hurt. Now it's to be seen how the Red Sox juggle their infield with respect to the other corner. 

Of course, the Red Sox have a three-time All-Star third baseman on the roster: Rafael Devers. After signing Bregman, the Red Sox moved Devers to DH full-time, something he didn't seem to appreciate. Devers also declined to give first base a try after Casas got hurt. He has not played the field at all in 2025. Not even in spring training. Cora has already ruled out a return to third for Devers, suggesting that he'll continue to serve as the DH (and only the DH).

Batting Around: Should Rafael Devers have been more open to playing first? Should the Red Sox have asked?
Mike Axisa
Batting Around: Should Rafael Devers have been more open to playing first? Should the Red Sox have asked?

Mayer, who hit .271/.347/.471 with nine home runs and two stolen bases in Triple-A, figures to serve as the key to the realignment. He's seen action all over the infield this year, including a recent run of starts at second base. It's possible the Red Sox deploy him at the keystone, allowing them to move Kristian Campbell to first base. It's also now possible that Mayer just slots in at third.

Our R.J. Anderson ranked Mayer the tenth best prospect in baseball entering the season.

The Red Sox have shown a willingness to put a top shortstop prospect at third base. In 2013, Xander Bogaerts came up and broke into the big leagues at third base and helped Boston win the World Series. That was several front office regimes ago, but there is precedent for the Red Sox putting a touted shortstop prospect at third.

Entering the night cap of Saturday's doubleheader, the Red Sox were 27-26 and in third place in the AL East. Bregman has been worth every penny so far, hitting .299/.385/.553 with 17 doubles and 11 home runs.