Astros Infielder Provides Injury Update Ahead of Critical Stretch for Houston
With the Houston Astros maintaining their dominance in the American League West—an achievement they’ve consistently held for nearly a decade—the team is taking a cautious approach to managing their star players’ health.
For instance, Alex Bregman will be sitting out the weekend series against the Chicago White Sox due to a swollen elbow, a decision made by the team before the three-game series began on Friday, August 16.
Despite a 5-4 loss in the first game, the Astros are being cautious, especially since the White Sox are enduring a historically poor season. Resting Bregman on Saturday and Sunday seems prudent.
The Astros have a packed schedule ahead, with no off-days until September 3, and all upcoming games after Sunday are against teams contending for playoff spots.
“He’ll be back in a few days,” Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters on Friday, according to MLB.com. “You want him playing every day, but I trust the guys who are out there right now to compete and give us a chance to win.”
Alex Bregman Aims to Address Injury Quickly
Bregman has bounced back from a rough start to the season, where he was batting just .201 with a .534 OPS as of May 12. Since then, he’s improved significantly, batting .288 with 18 home runs and an .866 OPS, bringing his season stats closer to his usual performance.
Even though he went 0-4 in his last game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Bregman has been on fire over his past nine games, hitting .390. The discomfort doesn’t seem to be affecting his performance.
“It’s just something I need a few days to deal with,” Bregman told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. “It’s unfortunate because I’ve been swinging the bat well.”
“It’s not that I can’t play through it, but I need to nip it in the bud,” he added.
Bregman had an MRI on Friday that showed no structural damage, meaning he won’t need to go on the injured list.
“I think a few days off, and I’ll come back strong,” Bregman said, per MLB.com. “There’s no ligament damage or anything like that. It’s just something that needs a few days of rest.”
Bregman Faces Free Agency
Bregman is in the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract with the Astros, which he signed before hitting arbitration.
With no contract extension from the Astros and no trade at the deadline, the team now faces a decision on whether to make a significant investment in their third baseman. As one of the top players at his position on the market, Bregman is likely to command a high price.
But how high?
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal discussed this on the August 12 episode of his “Fair Territory” podcast, suggesting that Bregman’s uneven performance this season could impact his free agency prospects.
“I think Alex Bregman had a better chance of being an elite free agent before this season started,” Rosenthal said. “He’s still going to be highly sought after. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing Alex Bregman. It just hasn’t been the season some expected, and how that affects free agency remains to be seen.”
