Alex Bregman exits game vs. Orioles with quad injury

Alex Bregman exits game vs. Orioles with quad injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman removed himself from Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles after suffering an injury in the fifth inning.

Bregman laced a single to left field and pulled up awkwardly after rounding first base. He immediately exited to the dugout, and Abraham Toro replaced him at first as a pinch runner. Nick Sogard moved from first base to take Bregman’s spot at third.

The Red Sox announced Bregman experienced right quad tightness. That should bring a sigh of relief, because losing the prized offseason addition for an extended period would be catastrophic. The 31-year-old entered Friday as Boston’s best hitter, slashing .297/.381/.554 with 11 homers and 35 RBI through 50 games while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at third.

After struggling to find a first baseman in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending injury, manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow may now need to search for a replacement at third base. Longtime third baseman Rafael Devers is an obvious choice, though he was moved to designated hitter before Opening Day and didn’t take kindly to being asked to move to first.

Sogard, a super utility player throughout his minor league career, is also a candidate for the role. However, he has played first since Casas’ injury, so Boston would revert to being short-handed at that spot.

A stint on the injured list for Bregman could open the door for top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer to be called up to the big-league club. Mayer has played second base recently at Triple-A Worcester and has some minor-league experience at third.