Bregman has acknowledged that he's still not quite 100 percent recovered from the quadriceps strain that kept him on the shelf from May 24 through July 11, so the Red Sox could give him one or two days off per week in an effort to keep him fresh. With Bregman getting a breather Wednesday, Marcelo Mayer will pick up the start at third base.

Anyone who has watched Alex Bregman’s first seven games back in the Red Sox lineup can see clearly that he’s not 100%. In the eyes of the club, that’s the price that has to be paid for Bregman’s accelerated comeback from a quad injury.