The last few months have been a whirlwind for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, especially considering the topsy-turvy nature of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Lilywhites won the Europa League under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, with the Aussie delivering on his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season.

However, it was somewhat overshadowed by the 17th-place finish in the Premier League, which ultimately cost the 60-year-old his job in North London.

The responsibility of building on the triumph was handed the way of Thomas Frank, with the Dane joining the club from fellow top-flight club Brentford during the off-season.

Despite his arrival, some players have struggled to match the levels they produced last campaign, which will have no doubt been frustrating to the new manager.

The Spurs players who have struggled in 2025/26

After arguably his best-ever campaign in 2024/25, Brennan Johnson has endured a dismal current campaign and has often failed to deliver when called upon by Frank.

The Welsh international has only netted two league goals in 2025/26 to date, subsequently dropping down the pecking order and only making five starts since the Dane’s arrival.

He was even sent off in the latest Champions League clash against FC Copenhagen, which pretty much sums up the decline he’s endured over the last few months.

Johnson hasn’t been alone in struggling to match the levels he produced last season, with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur another who’s been unable to produce on a consistent basis.

The Uruguayan international has only made eight starts to date, but his numbers from the current campaign showcase his dismal form in North London.

He’s ranked in the 43rd percentile for passes completed and has only been able to make 0.5 interceptions per 90 – often struggling to make an effect in and out of possession.

The Spurs star who needs to be offloaded

The decline of some players has led to the recent additions during the summer, with the hierarchy landing Mohammed Kudus in a £55m deal from West Ham United.

The Ghanaian international has since replaced Johnson on the right-hand side of the attack and has already made an immediate impact for the Lilywhites.

He’s scored once and registered four assists in the Premier League to date, with the latter of the two tallies the joint-highest of any player in England’s top-flight.

Kudus would have been joined in the final third by Dominic Solanke, but the Englishman has massively struggled with injuries and has been out of action since the end of August.

He’s been struggling with an ankle issue over the last couple of months, subsequently restricting him to a total of just 31 Premier League minutes in 2025/26.

As a result, the hierarchy decided to delve back into the transfer market to complete a loan deal for striker Randal Kolo Muani from French side PSG.

The 26-year-old’s move generated huge excitement within the fanbase, but after a couple of months, it’s safe to say that the deal so far has been a disaster for everyone involved.

He’s struggled to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, with the loanee subsequently failing to score in any of his eight outings across all competitions.

His underlying stats also showcase his lack of form since his transfer on Deadline Day, with the former Juventus star undoubtedly struggling to meet expectations in England.

Games played

4

Goals & assists

0

Shots taken

0.47

Touches in opposition box

1.4

Aerials won

0.4

Aerial success rate

37%

Fouls committed

1.6

Passes completed per 90

8.2

He’s only registered a total of 0.47 shots per 90 in England’s top-flight – with such a tally ranking him in the lowest 1% of all other attackers in the division this season.

Kolo Muani, who earns a reported £150k-per-week, has also registered just 1.4 touches in the opposition box and 0.4 aerials won per 90, which place him in the first percentile – further highlighting his lack of positive impact to date.

Such form backs up one content creator’s previous claim about the forward, with the Frenchman previously being dubbed “one of the most overrated players in the world”.

It’s evident that the move to date has been a huge failure, with the club desperately needing to cut ties and allow other players to stake their claim for a starting role.

His loan deal shouldn’t be made permanent in either of the two windows before it expires, but it’s crucial the club do invest big and land a new talisman for Frank.

Spurs star was one of the "best in the world", now he's on borrowed time

One Tottenham Hotspur star could be on borrowed time under Thomas Frank in the coming months.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 21, 2025

England have a 6-2 superior record against South Africa in the tournament

S Sudarshanan02-Oct-20252:05

Sciver-Brunt: WPL experience will benefit us

Big picture: England’s strong record vs SAEngland have been South Africa’s banana peel in the Women’s ODI World Cup. They have a 6-2 superior record in the tournament heading into the clash in Guwahati on Friday. While South Africa beat England in the group stages in 2022, they lost to England in the semi-final. The result was the same in the 2017 semi-final as well.”I feel like we’ve beaten them in the group stages in the past World Cups and then lost to them in the semi-final. So we know as a group, we can beat them, especially in the group stages,” South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said on Thursday. “We have played some good cricket recently. We’ve been batting really well. We’ve been bowling better and better. I think all of us know that if we really stick to our plans and are really clear with what we want to do, we can beat them tomorrow.”South Africa enter the World Cup on the back of a solid run of games. They played a tri-series with India and Sri Lanka, then played Pakistan in Pakistan. They have been in action regularly with the same set of players, high on confidence. While the women made it to successive T20 World Cup finals in 2023 and 2024, the men ended the drought of ICC titles with the World Test Championship win this year.”It’s been amazing to see how the country has supported them and how excited everyone was back at home and united to support them in that trophy,” Wolvaardt said. “Hopefully we have the chance to do something similar to really get the country behind us in this tournament.”England have had a contrasting run in this regard. Their leadership group underwent a change after the Women’s Ashes. Under head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, England played just the two series – winning comfortably against West Indies and losing to India, both at home.Sciver-Brunt, however, was okay with the team’s preparation away from internationals. They had a ten-day camp in Abu Dhabi, where they acclimatised to the conditions they would encounter at the World Cup. Plus, there are eight players in the England squad with WPL experience.”We got some great time out in the middle in really hot, humid conditions where in England it’s not like that,” she said. “So preparing physically in that way was really good. That is going to be a massive part of our tournament, making sure that we are adapting as quickly as we can.”During the India vs Sri Lanka match at the ACA Stadium, spin played a part in the middle overs while it was easier to face pace at the start. That is a template that Sciver-Brunt backed England to follow.”That’s a blueprint that we work with, especially when we’re bowling, making sure the spinners in the middle are doing a really good job for us and making it really hard for people to get away. I think that has been a really good strength of ours for a number of years. We’ve got a brilliant spin attack.”Form guideEngland LWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWWIn the spotlight: Nat Sciver-Brunt and Marizanne KappIn her first World Cup match as captain, the spotlight will be firmly on Nat Sciver-Brunt. She is England’s leading run-scorer since the 2022 World Cup and only Amy Jones has more than her so far this year. That is in addition to her 20 wickets in the last three years. With a view to manage her workload, she hadn’t bowled since the WPL but resumed duties with the ball at the warm-up games. With Heather Knight returning from a hamstring injury, Sciver-Brunt will draw from her WPL experience to navigate the side at the ACA Stadium, where the track could be slightly two-paced.This will be Nat Sciver-Brunt’s first World Cup as captain•Getty Images

A like-for-like, South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp is at the peak of her powers. Give her the new ball, she’ll dry up the runs and pick up wickets. Send her in with South Africa in a spot, she will not just arrest the slide but also transfer the pressure back on the opponents. A WPL regular for Delhi Capitals, Kapp is into her fifth World Cup and would want her team to cross the finish line this time. “The amount of experience that she has is invaluable,” Wolvaardt said on match eve. “She knows every player going around. She’s bowled to basically all of them.”Team newsSciver-Brunt will bowl at the World Cup, which means England could play an extra spinner or an extra seamer. But she said on match eve that she would “like to select seven batters to go into this tournament” which opens the door for Alice Capsey, who also bowls offspin.England (probable): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Charlie Dean, 10. Em Arlott, 11 Lauren BellAyabonga Khaka bowled full-tilt on the eve of the game. She could shoulder duties with fellow seamers Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen. Karabo Meso had a long batting stint ahead of Sinalo Jafta, who is South Africa’s preferred wicketkeeper.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Annerie Dercksen, 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Nondumiso Shangase, 10 Nonkululeko Mlaba, 11 Ayabonga Khaka

Pitch and conditionsRain washed out England’s pre-game practice session, while South Africa managed to get theirs done under lights. Showers are expected on Friday as well with IMD issuing thunderstorm alerts. A washout isn’t on the cards, though.A fresh pitch will be used for the game. Expect spin to come into play as the game goes on, as was the case during the India vs Sri Lanka contest.Stats and trivia No opening pair has scored more runs than Laura Wolvaardt-Tazmin Brits in ODIs since January 2023. They have 1536 runs at an average close to 60. The next best is Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal with 1316 South Africa have won only two of their last six ODIs against England Marizanne Kapp has dismissed Heather Knight five times in 15 innings, Nat Sciver-Brunt three times in nine innings and Tammy Beaumont five times in 13 innings Charlie Dean has got Laura Wolvaardt out three times in seven innings for only 65 runs and Sune Luus three times in four innings for just 19 runsQuotes”She obviously has a lot of experience. I think it would be stupid of me not to listen to her. She’s a hugely valuable person in our side, whether it’s with the bat or just that tactical thinking. She’s got a brilliant brain for cricket. So, yeah, I’m encouraging her to be as vocal as she wants to be.”
“The biggest learnings in that series are probably just how to play spin, especially being nice and proactive with the bat against the spinners in that middle phase. We generally get off to good starts, and I think we had really good death overs with the bat in that series in Sri Lanka, but probably could have done a bit more in that middle phase.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) se pronunciou, na manhã destas quinta-feira (22), sobre o ataque ao ônibus do Fortaleza, ocorrido na noite de quarta (21), após a partida contra o Sport, em Recife. Em nota, a entidade disse confiar no trabalho da Polícia e das autoridades competentes e não citou formas de ajudar no caso.

continua após a publicidade

– É lamentável e inadmissível iniciar mais um ano chamando a atenção para este tema gravíssimo que é o da violência fora dos estádios. A CBF confia no trabalho da Polícia e das autoridades competentes, para que os responsáveis por estes atos sejam punidos exemplarmente, sem prejuízo de outras medidas cabíveis – afirmou a entidade.

Na mesma nota, o presidente da CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, desejou uma boa recuperação aos atletas e profissionais feridos no atentado ao ônibus do Fortaleza. Ao todo, seis jogadores do Fortaleza precisaram ser levados ao hospital após o ataque ao ônibus do clube: João Ricardo, Escobar, Titi, Brítez, Lucas Sasha e Dudu.

continua após a publicidade

– Desejo pronta recuperação a todos os jogadores e profissionais da comissão técnica que foram vítimas desse crime. A CBF seguirá implacável na cobrança e nas ações para que todo e qualquer ato de violência seja varrido do futebol brasileiro – disse o presidente da CBF.

➡️ CEO do Fortaleza diz que clube só deveria voltar a jogar após recuperação de atletas: ‘Vai esperar morrer alguém?’

Confira, na íntegra, o pronunciamento da Confereração Brasileira de Futebol sobre o caso:

A Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) vem a público lamentar mais um episódio de violência ligado diretamente a uma partida de futebol, em um jogo entre Fortaleza e Sport de Recife pela Copa do Nordeste, ocorrido na noite desta quarta-feira (21), na Arena de Pernambuco.
O ônibus que transportava os atletas do Fortaleza após a partida, foi atacado por criminosos que arremessaram pedras na direção do veículo, ferindo jogadores e membros da comissão técnica.
“Desejo pronta recuperação a todos os jogadores e profissionais da comissão técnica que foram vítimas desse crime. A CBF seguirá implacável na cobrança e nas ações para que todo e qualquer ato de violência seja varrido do futebol brasileiro”, disse o presidente da CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues.
É lamentável e inadmissível iniciar mais um ano chamando a atenção para este tema gravíssimo que é o da violência fora dos estádios. A CBF confia no trabalho da Polícia e das autoridades competentes, para que os responsáveis por estes atos sejam punidos exemplarmente, sem prejuízo de outras medidas cabíveis. E que cada vez mais episódios como esses sejam varridos do cenário do futebol brasileiro.

continua após a publicidade

Tudo sobre

CBFFortaleza

The USMNT have been told what represents a successful 2026 World Cup, with Brad Friedel looking ahead to the tournament in an exclusive interview with GOAL. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are being challenged to reach the knockout stages on home soil, but there will be “no shame” in falling short if they come unstuck against a heavyweight rival such as England or Brazil.

Golden Generation: Who makes USMNT squad?

Having qualified as co-hosts of FIFA’s flagship event – alongside neighbours Canada and Mexico – the United States have had fewer competitive fixtures to ready them for a shot at global glory. A series of friendlies, Gold Cup games and Nations League ties have, however, allowed Pochettino to experiment and shuffle his pack.

The former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss will be close to settling on a 26-man squad that he believes can be competitive against the very best in the business. He is considered to be working with a ‘Golden Generation’ of talent but can they live up to expectations, or even exceed them?

AdvertisementKnockout blow: How far will USMNT go at 2026 World Cup?

Asked what success will look like next summer, former USMNT goalkeeper Friedel – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “My expectation is that we get through the group. I think exceeding expectations is past the quarters. It’s really difficult to say what I think will be success or failure, the knockouts etc, until you see the draw and the knockout games. There is no shame in getting knocked out to Brazil or England. It just happens. For me, it’s the manner in which it would happen.

“Mauricio I know very well and he is going to have a team that is well prepared, that is fit, that is going to fight for everyone, and they are going to compete really well. That’s why I think over a three-game period in the group stages, they can get out of the group – that’s what I expect. After that, unfortunately no matter how hard you compete against some of the teams at the World Cup – that’s why so few have won it over the history of the tournament – it’s difficult to win it. We’ll have to wait and see.

“I would say that the team is definitely capable of – with the talent that they have and I know how Mauricio works – getting to the quarter-finals. We’ll see after that because then it becomes really hard.

“Sometimes you are going to need luck or penalties or sendings off, or whatever it is. Look at all the great England teams that have been so close. Talent-wise, playing with them and against them, they have had the talent to win a World Cup. For whatever reason, they haven’t been able to finish it off.”

Getty Images

Avoid Messi: Who will the USMNT want to face?

The USMNT made it to the last-16 of the 2010, 2014 and 2022 World Cups – having failed to qualify in 2018 – and believe that they can emulate those achievements in their own backyard. They will, however, cross paths with at one least of the favourites at some stage.

Quizzed on whether Lionel Messi and Argentina would be a dream draw or whether it is best to avoid the elite for as long as possible, Friedel added: “You are going to get at least one of the best in your group. Back in ‘94, we were lucky to get out of the group but really unlucky because we had two European countries. We had Switzerland and Romania and Colombia.

“You are going to get somebody really good to play against. The European countries are generally of the higher quality, and the South American countries. I would still say avoid everyone at the top for as long as you can! You can lose against those guys any time, with no shame and playing a really good match, so why not play against people that you know you can beat seven out of 10 times.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GOALWorld Cup draw: When USMNT will discover group stage opponents

The USMNT will discover their fate – and whether that includes a meeting with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who has helped to guide Inter Miami to the 2025 MLS Cup final – when the group stage draw is held at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on December 5.

Famous presenter Piers Morgan has begged Arsenal to win the Premier League, and kick off an era of dominance that will see them become the Premier League's best-ever team. The Gunners have not won the title since 2004 under Arsene Wenger but Mikel Arteta's side are top of the league in December, and are dreaming of lifting silverware in May.

• Arsenal's rise

  The Gunners have enjoyed a stunning start to the season and fans are currently dreaming of ending a drought that runs back to 2004, when Arsene Wenger's side won the title. Arteta's charges sit five points clear ahead of Manchester City in second  – ahead of Pep Guardiola's side playing Fulham on Tuesday evening – and Morgan, one of the club's most famous, or infamous, fans, depending on your viewpoint, believes that the club can kick off a decade of dominance if they lift the trophy. 

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Morgan's plea

  Morgan, in an interview with Sky Sports, said: “For 21, nearly 22 years, it’s been a torment exacerbated by the fact that in the last three years we’ve been the bridesmaid three times but never the bride when we should have been.

  “Now we can taste it, now we can feel it, now we have got the wedding dress.

  “Now we assume we have got the best chance ever to be the bride and my message to Arsenal is: Please, please, just win the league. 

  “Just shut up all our rivals. Just give me something. Because it’s the best chance we’ve got.”

  He also believes they can go on to become one of the best teams the league has ever seen, a la The Invincibles. 

  He added: “I’ll tell you what. This is the best squad I’ve ever known Arsenal have in my entire life supporting them. So this is since 1971, I’ve never seen a better squad in terms of depth.

  “And I think in terms of certain players, [Bukayo] Saka, Declan Rice, [William] Saliba, Gabriel [Magalhaes], [David] Raya, maybe some others, maybe [Viktor] Gyokeres, we’ll see, we could have players who end up being Arsenal legends.

  “Some are well on their way already and I picked a team recently of Invincibles and the current team. How many would get into a joint team? Six-five Invincibles at the moment.

  “That could change if we win the league. Exciting times to be an Arsenal fan.”

• Can Arsenal see it out?

  The Gunners have been in this position before, and have led the league table at various stages since 2004, but have failed to get over the line. Morgan, though, may well have a point that the north London club will never have a better chance to finally end a lengthy drought. They came through a stern test last weekend, drawing 1-1 with Chelsea in a high-intensity and ill-tempered derby.

  Arteta has already called on the club's fanbase to roar them over the line, telling reporters: "It's an opportunity tomorrow to be at the Emirates, bouncing and putting energy to win the game.

  "7.30pm. Like animals, everybody at the Emirates, to go again and beat Brentford. That's the opportunity. Vital. Massive."

  "Our motivation comes from preparation, try to be better from the opposition. And in the league with what we're doing, we don't need any more motivation than that."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  What comes next?

  Arsenal have a London derby against Brentford to come in midweek before taking on Aston Villa away from home this weekend. They are also continuing to compete in the Champions League, and face Club Brugge in Belgium next week. They then take on Wolves, and remain in contention for both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup. A glorious end to the season is possible, but whether it happens remains to be seen. 

Josh Hazlewood says he is bowling as well as he ever has in white-ball cricket, but he’s urged Australia’s selectors to pick as many allrounders as possible for the Ashes as his attention turns to Sheffield Shield cricket after a stunning T20I performance against India at the MCG.Hazlewood returned Test-match type figures of 3 for 13 from four overs to rip through India’s top-order and help Australia claim a 1-0 series lead with three games to go.But Hazlewood will now leave Australia’s squad to prepare for a Shield match against Victoria starting November 10, which will be his last game before the first Ashes Test on November 21.The injury to Pat Cummins has highlighted Hazlewood’s importance heading into the Ashes series and he has been repeatedly asked if he can get through five Tests against England after going down with injury in each of the only two Tests he played last summer.Related

• Cummins makes tentative return to bowling in Ashes fitness race

• Hazlewood masterclass hands Australia 1-0 lead

• Intent meets precision as Abhishek sparkles in the Melbourne gloom

Hazlewood was asked about the importance of the allrounders in the Test side as debate rages over whether Australia can fit both Cameron Green and Beau Webster in the same top six. But Hazlewood said the allrounders were vital.”First player picked [should be] an allrounder, I think,” Hazlewood said after his Player of the Match effort on Friday. “Going back to those 20-odd Test matches we played with no allrounder, they were hard yards. So if [they] can be in the team, be it bowling, [Ca Green] Greeny is obviously an outstanding player, Beau has done great for us whenever he’s played. The more the merrier, I say. They can bowl as much as they want.”Hazlewood’s recent white-ball form has been sublime. Unlike Mitchell Starc, who has retired from T20I cricket and also skipped the ODI series against South Africa in August to have a long break from bowling, Hazlewood made a conscious decision with the selection panel and CA’s medical staff to play as much as he possibly could throughout the winter. A significant break in the winter of 2024 led to side and calf injuries for Hazlewood that saw him miss five Tests, the Champions Trophy and half the IPL.Hazlewood will not focus on red-ball bowling before the Ashes begin•Randy Brooks/Associated Press

The decision to keep bowling is paying dividends at the moment having got through the second half of the IPL, four winter Tests, T20I and ODI series against South Africa, T20Is against New Zealand, ODIs against India and now two T20Is against India. But he says he won’t know if it is the right one until the end of the Ashes.”Everything’s going swimmingly now,” Hazlewood said. “I think I can’t really say if it’s worked perfectly until probably after the summer. If I get through everything, it’s probably the template moving forward, to put myself in the best position to play as many games as possible. Still resting the odd one here and there, if it doesn’t sort of match up with travel or turnarounds and stuff like that.”While Australia’s squad fly to Hobart on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s third T20I before heading north to Queensland for the last two matches on the Gold Coast and Brisbane next Thursday and Saturday respectively, Hazlewood will head home to Sydney to rest before playing for New South Wales against Victoria in a Shield game at the SCG that starts on November 10.”The next week, I’ll just probably get in the gym a couple of times,” Hazlewood said. “Don’t really need to bowl a hell of a lot, probably later in the week with the Shield game starting Monday week at home. So it will be a little bit of a de-load the next few days, and then go again. So things are good.”India opener Abhishek Sharma could not hide the joy on his face when he was informed in the press conference that Hazlewood would miss the final three games of the T20I series after he had tormented India’s batters across the tour to-date.”Oh, is he? I didn’t know this,” Abhishek said.”I was watching him in the ODIs as well. We knew that he’s going to give us this much difficulty and challenges. So obviously, the way he bowled today, even I got surprised.”I haven’t seen something like this in T20s. It was something new for me as well, because I’m a batter that wants to dominate. But when I was seeing on the other side how he’s bowling, and even to me it seems like he had a plan and he was just executing it.”

If you saw Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter's glove during his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday—or at any point during the 2025 season—and were wondering if something looked a bit different, you were onto something.

Leiter is utilizing a Rawlings-made custom glove, one that is unusually large and also features no holes for his index finger, as many baseball gloves typically do.

And, as it turns out, Leiter's glove has a strategic purpose, as the Rangers play-by-play announcer Dave Raymond explained.

"The back of his glove, where normally, you would slide your index finger through the opening and it would be in the back of the glove—there's no way to get through it," Raymond explained. "It's a solid back mitt. He had it made for him that way because … it's a way, using the back of your hand, that teams will pick out a tell. They might find you tipping pitches."

"This offseason he went to get a slightly bigger glove. So he talked to his guy at Rawlings and he's like, 'Can I get a bigger glove so I can hide the ball like that?' "

In theory, the size of Leiter's glove allows him to better hide his pitching grips on the baseball, while the lack of an opening for his index finger reduces the chances of an opposing team finding a clue into potential pitch tipping.

In an MLB season where innovation has found its way into baseball bats, why not into gloves as well?

Leiter, the son of former 19-year MLB veteran Al Leiter, was the second overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft. He made his big league debut with the Rangers in April of 2024. He struggled to an 8.83 ERA in six starts as a rookie, and, evidently, tipping pitches was a concern of his following his tough first season in the big leagues.

Leiter on Friday tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six Cardinals while lowering his season ERA to 3.66. With the Rangers currently leading 9-0, Leiter will be in line for his fourth win of the season, barring a Cardinals comeback.

Boston Red Sox star third baseman Alex Bregman left the first game of Friday's day-night doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles with quad tightness.

Boston manager Alex Cora ruled Bregman out for Friday night's game against the Orioles and wouldn't rule out an injured list stint.

"Just tight," Cora said of the injury to Bregman after Boston's 19-5 win on Friday afternoon. "We'll see how he comes in tomorrow. So he won't play the second one [on Friday night]. He'll get treatment. We'll know more tomorrow."

When asked about an injured list stint for Bregman, Cora reiterated, "We'll see tomorrow."

What the Red Sox do next will be fascinating should Bregman miss time. Given the drama surrounding former third baseman Rafael Devers and his move to designated hitter, it's safe to assume he's not a candidate. A much-anticipated promotion of Marcelo Mayer from Triple A doesn't seem to be in the cards yet either.

"Ceddanne [Rafaela] can play third. [Nick Sogard] can play third. [Abraham] Toro can play third. We know Connor [Wong] can do it. In case of an emergency, we can move [Kristian Campbell] to the outfield and Ceddanne to the infield and go from there," Cora added.

For what it's worth, the Red Sox will have Sogard at third and Toro at first in Friday night's nightcap against Baltimore. Whether that remains the alignment moving forward in the absence of Bregman remains to be seen.