Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that he plans to have Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers (shoulders) and Bregman as the top three in his batting order this season, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
They will be followed by Triston Casas and Trevor Story in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, at least against right-handers. Bregman has had a terrific spring at the plate with his new club, slashing .391/.467/.826 with a couple home runs.
Red Sox's Alex Bregman: 'Increasingly likely' to open at 3B
Rotowire
Bregman is "increasingly likely" to open the season as the Red Sox's starting third baseman, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Bregman has yet to play an inning at second base this spring and Rafael Devers (shoulders) has yet to play an inning anywhere, so Bregman handling third base and Devers being used at designated hitter on Opening Day looks to be a safe bet at this point. It would leave Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton and Kristian Campbell fighting for reps at second base.
Bregman went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Friday's spring game against Miami.
The homer was the second of the spring for Bregman, who has been productive in the Grapefruit League. He's batting .471 with four extra-base hits and eight RBI through seven contests. He's started at third base six times (one at DH) and batted second in the order in all outings. Third baseman Rafael Devers (shoulder) is due back this week -- he could debut Tuesday or Wednesday -- but is expected return as the designated hitter. Boston manager Alex Cora has yet to divulge his plans for third base.
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