The Boston Red Sox are starting to slip further and further away in the American League playoff race, as they have now lost five games in a row. However, they are getting close to getting some reinforcements back that will help them steady the ship. Star third baseman Alex Bregman has now missed over a month with a quad strain, but he is starting to do some work on the field that suggests he could be approaching a return.

Bregman got a positive update on Friday, with manger Alex Cora saying that the former Houston Astros standout took batting practice on Friday and is scheduled to field ground balls in practice on Saturday, according to Christopher Smith of Mass Live.

Cora then went on to say that the Red Sox will have a better idea of when Bregman will be able to return next week.

“It’s Week 5. We’ll reassess the situation Week 6 and then from there, we’ll probably have a better idea when he’s going to come back,” Cora said, per Smith.

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While Bregman's return seems to be at least a week away at this point, it is still a very good sign that he is able to get back on the field and participate in baseball activities. A quad injury affects all parts of his game on the diamond, so it's understandable that there would be some ramp-up time for him.

“I don’t think he’s pushing faster than what he can,” Cora added. “I think he’s pushing because he feels good. So we just have to be patient and be smart about it and whenever he’s ready, he’s ready.”

Bregman has been one of the best bats in the Red Sox lineup all season long, which comes as no surprise to anyone who watched him dominate back in his Houston days. This season, the 31-year old is batting .299 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in just 51 games, so adding him back into this Boston lineup will be a huge difference-maker for Cora and company.

The Red Sox are getting ready to kick off a critical division series over the weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays. The schedule then lightens up a bit over the next few weeks before a massive divisional clash against the Tampa Bay Rays beginning on July 10. Boston will certainly be hoping that Bregman is back and ready to go by then.