Astros planning Alex Bregman first base experiment amid injury concern

With Alex Bregman battling an elbow injury, the Houston Astros are considering a plan to help him return to the field soon, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

“The Astros will expose Alex Bregman to first base soon in hopes that they can get him playing somewhere defensively, Joe Espada said. It is a possibility he sees action there on this road trip,” Rome wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Bregman missed some time due to swelling in his elbow. He recently returned and has been serving as the Astros’ designated hitter. Of course, Houston also has one of the best designated hitters in baseball on the team in Yordan Alvarez, so they are looking for a way for Bregman to return to the field. Bregman is a third baseman but his defense would seem to be impacted at the hot corner given his elbow concern.

Bregman has been trending in an encouraging direction. The 30-year-old provided an update on his injury status Wednesday, via Jason Bristol of KHOU 11 News Houston.

“I feel like the rest of the year is going to be kind of just a fluid situation,” Bregman told reporters following the Astros’ 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. “Take it day by day and see how it feels every single day and kind of make a decision as it goes. Threw today for the first time, arm felt good.

“I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort or anything. But yeah, it’s just going to be one of those things, take it day by day, kind of see how it feels the rest of the year… There’s some little gremlins in there causing some swelling. Just going to have to try and mitigate through the rest of the year.”

Alex Bregman’s Astros first base situation amid upcoming free agency

There is never a good time for an injury. This is an especially unfortunate time for Bregman, however, as his contract with the Astros is set to expire following the 2024 season. The veteran is going to enter free agency during the offseason, and one has to imagine he will still draw interest. After all, he is a two-time World Series champion and a two-time All-Star.

When healthy in 2024, though, Bregman has not swung the bat well. He is slashing just .261/.318/.450/.768 across 117 games played. Bregman’s elbow issue will give teams something else to think about.

The MLB world has seen players switch positions due to injuries and find success. Bryce Harper is a recent example.

The Philadelphia Phillies superstar underwent Tommy John surgery following the 2022 campaign. He returned sooner than expected in 2023 as a DH and ended up moving to first base. Harper has since turned into a full-time first baseman.

There is no guarantee that Bregman will completely abandon third base in favor of being a first baseman. For now, playing first base seems to be the best way to keep his bat in the lineup when the DH spot is not available.