In a competitive AL East, the margin for error is razor-thin. Nearly every team in the division is waiting on the return of a difference-maker. And as frustrating as the Alex Bregman injury has been for Red Sox fans to deal with, his is far from the only one in the division. In fact, the four other AL East teams each have at least one injured player they desperately need to return.
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Boston Red Sox: Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman's injury has been tough for the Boston Red Sox to deal with. Yes, it gave them an excuse to promote Marcelo Mayer, and Abraham Toro has played well in his starts at the hot corner, but Bregman was looking like one of the best third basemen in the game prior to his injury. I mean, he had a .938 OPS and hit 11 home runs while driving in 35 runs in 51 games before landing on the IL.
Not only is Bregman a star on the field, but his right-handed bat added some much-needed balance to Boston's lineup, and his leadership has been evident ever since the Red Sox signed him. For the Red Sox to go on the run they'll need to get back in the thick of the postseason race, they'll likely need Bregman playing a starring role. When he returns remains to be seen, but Red Sox fans only hope it'll be sooner rather than later.
Tampa Bay Rays: Ha-Seong Kim
Rays fans have yet to see their prized free agency acquisition in regular season game action.
As disappointing as it has been for Red Sox fans to be robbed of weeks of Alex Bregman games, Tampa Bay Rays fans have yet to see their biggest free agency addition, Ha-Seong Kim, play in a regular season game. Kim was expected to miss the beginning of the season after signing a two-year, $29 million deal in the offseason due to shoulder surgery, but we're 67 games into Tampa Bay's season, and he hasn't suited up in the majors yet.
Now, the Rays have played well without him, going 36-31 as of this writing, but their shortstop production has been lackluster. Overall, Rays shortstops rank 22nd in the majors with a 75 WRC+ and have posted just 1.0 fWAR. Jose Caballero steals a ton of bases, and Taylor Walls is a high-end defender, but Kim is a well-rounded shortstop who can contribute at a high level on both sides of the ball.
He's so impactful, in fact, to the point where he received MVP votes in 2023. His 2024 season was a bit underwhelming, but even in that year, he was far better than what the Rays have now at shortstop. The Rays, a team known for not spending much money at all, signed Kim for a reason. The fact that he's on a rehab assignment shows that his return is imminent. It wouldn't be surprising to see his impact be strong and immediate.
Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Bradish
Honestly, just pick your poison when it comes to the pitcher Baltimore Orioles fans miss. Yes, Mike Elias did not do enough to add to Baltimore's starting rotation, but injuries to Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and Tyler Wells haven't helped at all. Bradish has been sidelined for quite some time after undergoing Tommy John Surgery last June, and he isn't expected back until the second half of the season. It feels as if the Orioles have been well short on the starting pitching front since he went down.
Bradish doesn't get much press, but when healthy, he's one of the best starting pitchers in the American League. He had a sub-3.00 ERA in 30 starts back in 2023, finishing in fourth place in the AL Cy Young balloting. The following year saw him post a sub-3.00 ERA in eight starts before his season-ending injury, and he hasn't thrown in a MLB game since.
By the time Bradish comes back, the Orioles' season will likely be fully over. Baltimore has gotten off to such a horrendous start, and the hole is likely going to be too deep for Bradish to help dig them out. Still, his return will at least give O's fans hope that they have a healthy frontline arm they can count on.
They'll still need to add a ton behind him for next season to be a better one, but having a healthy Bradish leading the way is a great start.
Toronto Blue Jays: Yimi Garcia
The Toronto Blue Jays have a couple of frustrating injuries. Anthony Santander's underwhelming first season with the Blue Jays took a frustrating turn after he landed on the IL. Daulton Varsho got off to a strong start after missing time earlier this season with injury, but he's back on the IL now. As annoying as those injuries are, it feels like Yimi Garcia's injury is more painful.
Garcia was used early and often this season as Jeff Hoffman's primary set-up man and was mostly great, posting a 3.15 ERA in 20 innings across his first 21 outings. The Jays went 14-7 when he took the ball. A shoulder injury has kept him sidelined since late May, though, and there's no timetable for his return.
Without Garcia, this Jays bullpen lacks depth when it comes to late-game arms. Hoffman is still the closer, but he's struggled. Yariel Rodriguez and Brendon Little have unexpectedly broken out, but Chad Green has pitched his way out of high-leverage opportunities for the most part, and there isn't much else there to get super excited about.
The Jays have played well, but it feels like their bullpen is an arm or two short. Garcia's return would help greatly. Hopefully, that happens sooner rather than later.
New York Yankees: Luke Weaver
The New York Yankees acquired Devin Williams to close games, but his early-season struggles forced him out of the closer role. Luke Weaver replaced him in that role and was arguably the best reliever in the game for a prolonged stretch, but he's been sidelined for a week with a hamstring strain and isn't expected back for several more weeks.
Williams has recorded a pair of saves since Weaver went down, but he looked very shaky in one of his outings, and the late-game options for Aaron Boone to turn to are far from plenty.
Ultimately, Weaver's injury has forced everyone in the Yankees' bullpen to pitch above where they normally would, and has put a ton of pressure on guys like Williams, Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. to be spotless. The Yankees' bullpen was an arm short even with Weaver, so his injury has left that unit exposed a bit.