Nearly two months ago, Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman watched teammate Liam Hendriks acknowledge a recent rash of death threats after a poor performance.
The Hendriks situation came shortly after Bregman’s former teammate, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers, found himself in a similar incident. Houston police announced in June that they identified an overseas bettor who threatened McCullers when inebriated.
Already in his 10th season, Bregman has encountered his share of threatening and vile social media messages. At this point, though, the three-time All-Star doesn’t even bother caring what fans or social media users say.
“We kind of try and block it out and put filters up so we don’t have to look at the hate,” Bregman told The Athletic.
Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Bregman’s dismissal is somewhat surprising, especially considering that two of his teammates felt they needed to publicly address the threats that they received. Progressive Field security removed a Cleveland Guardians fan in late April who made an inappropriate comment to Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran regarding the latter’s mental health; Duran revealed earlier this year that he attempted suicide in 2022.
Bregman isn’t the only All-Star who admitted they tend to ignore negative online posts.
“You just really try not to look at social media stuff or anything and stay focused on who you are as a player,” Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson said.
Bregman owns a .298 average, 11 homers, 35 RBIs, and a .927 OPS in 234 plate appearances. He’s well on pace for his fourth consecutive 4.0 bWAR season, and his .380 on-base percentage is his highest since 2019.
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