(Photo credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)

The Red Sox won't wait until after the All-Star break for Alex Bregman, as manager Alex Cora expects the third baseman to make his return either Friday or Saturday in Boston against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Bregman, 31, has not played since May 23 after going on the injured list with a strained right quadriceps. The Red Sox and Rays play a four-game series that started Thursday night and runs through Sunday, with the season's second half starting for Boston on July 18 at the Chicago Cubs.

'He'll play this weekend,' Cora said on Thursday, when Bregman had a full baseball workout with batting and fielding practice. 'He'll play two of the games, let's put it that way.'

Cora said Bregman will be activated without the routine rehabilitation assignment to a minor league affiliate.

'(Bregman) feels good,' Cora said. 'We talk about the gap between Triple-A and the big leagues. Physically, he's done everything here. So we trust the at-bat, we trust him. We're gonna roll with it. ... You gain five, six, seven at-bats (with a rehab assignment). Why not get them here?'

Bregman is batting .299 with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, 17 doubles, a .385 on-base percentage and a .553 slugging percentage in 51 games. Despite missing so much time, he was selected as a reserve for the American League squad in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Atlanta.

The now three-time All-Star will not play in that game, but he will take the field this weekend at third base rather than easing in as a designated hitter. He won the AL Gold Glove at third base with Houston last season.

'My biggest concern is the defensive part of it, the nine innings out there, going into the dugout, going back and forth, the pop-up down the line, the bunts and all that,' Cora said. 'But he's checked almost every box. We've still got today, but he feels like he's in a great place and we're going to trust the player.'

Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million deal during the offseason to join the Red Sox after nine seasons with Houston, where he won World Series titles with the Astros in 2017 and 2022.

He is a career .274 hitter with 202 home runs and 698 RBIs in parts of 10 seasons with the Astros (2016-24) and Red Sox.

--Field Level Media