Alex Bregman returned to the Houston Astros lineup as the designated hitter on Wednesday after missing nearly a week with an elbow injury. However, that won’t be the plan for the two-time All-Star moving forward.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Bregman will play first base for the first time in his pro career on Friday. The move is strategic by the Astros, who are looking to keep their lineup intact without sacrificing on defense.
“The Astros want him in the field as much as possible so they can DH Yordan Alvarez and not play him in left field,” Rosenthal said while reporting during Thursday’s tilt between the Astros and Baltimore Orioles.
Bregman has been fielding ground balls at first over the last few days in an effort to get comfortable on the other side of the diamond. But the Astros seem committed to having him play the field wherever possible, even keeping the door open for a move back to third.
Astros manager Joe Espada confirmed that strategy during an in-game interview with Rosenthal. He said that Bregman was day-to-day regarding where he would slot into the lineup but added that the team would “play around” with the possibilities.
“We need him in the lineup,” Astros manager Joe Espada told Rosenthal. “Having him on the field, that takes Yordan back to that DH spot, keeps those guys healthy and in the lineup.”
Bregman’s injury stems from having slept on his right elbow wrong. He grew tired of playing through the pain and underwent tests — which came back negative — before sitting out the Astros next five games.
The nine-year veteran returned with a bang on Wednesday, hitting his 20th home run of the season in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The 30-year-old is having another solid year, entering play Thursday slashing .261/.318/.450 with 60 RBI through 117 games.
Having Bregman back should give a much-needed boost to the suddenly surging Astros, who’ve won 11 of their last 14 games. At the start of August, Houston was deadlocked with the Seattle Mariners atop the American League West. The Astros now own a five-game advantage.
