What can you do to help your team win if you’re not in the lineup that day? Well, most players would say cheer them on, offer some advice, and stay locked in from the dugout. But Boston’s $120M star Alex Bregman might think differently. When he is not on the active roster, he tries unique stunts for the team. Well, that’s what it seemed during the high-stakes Red Sox-Yankees game.

While Bregman wasn’t wearing a glove or holding a bat, his actions proved why he was more than just a ballplayer there. Sometimes helping your team win goes beyond the batter’s box or the infield dirt. Sometimes what it takes is just shifting the vibe.

Bregman has been sidelined since May 24 with a strained right quad. So, a return to the Red Sox’s lineup may still be a few weeks away. But that hasn’t stopped him from trying to influence games in whatever way he can.

As per NESN, during the Red Sox-Yankees game, Bregman shaved his mustache mid-game! As ridiculous as it might sound, the viral clip showed him before and after he shaved.

We are not quite sure what it was for. Maybe a superstition just to shift the tempo towards the Red Sox, who knows? But if that was the case, he couldn’t pull it off successfully because the Yankees won against the Red Sox by 9-6.

This isn’t the first time Bregman has pulled such a stunt though.

Back in 2018, while playing for the Astros against the Royals, he famously shaved between at-bats. At that time, he offered no clarification for the act either, but the Astros won that game. So, maybe the ritual worked back then. But not on Friday, as his mid-game grooming change coincided with a strong offensive showing by the Yanks.

Well, the result might not have gone in his favor this time, but it was pure Bregman. A player so wired into the game that even a ritual, no matter how quirky, was worth revisiting if it might give him or his team an edge. Ahh, he might think so!

But hey, no matter what stunts Bregman is pulling off, the Red Sox’s hot corner will probably not be solid till he returns to the field. The team would, however, hope one of their top prospects fill the void.

The Red Sox might have their next star in the making

For weeks, Red Sox fans have been vocal and impatient about one thing. To promote Marcelo Mayer. The top prospect was lighting it up in the minors, yet his big-league debut remained delayed, sparking waves of frustration across the fanbase. But you know what, time writes its own script.

With Alex Bregman landing on the injured list, the door finally cracked open for Mayer. And Mayer took the chance like there’s no tomorrow. He announced his arrival most grandly by crushing his first MLB home run against none other than the Yankees. Well, that too from the third base!

The fans called for him, and Mayer delivered with authority.

Yes, it took some time for Mayer to deliver. The 22-year-old experienced early slump, entering the game against the Yanks with a .188 batting average and a .507 OPS through his first nine games in Boston. But then came the fifth inning.

Under the bright lights of the Yankee Stadium, Mayer finally made his mark. A long-awaited moment perhaps signaled the beginning of something bigger. Yes, he’s still raw and learning. But make no mistake, a new star third baseman may be in the making for the Red Sox.