Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman will not play on Friday due to an elbow injury, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Bregman is reportedly dealing with swelling in the back of his elbow.
Bregman later provided an update, via Rome.
“Alex Bregman said he had an MRI that showed no structural damage in his elbow. He doesn’t think he’ll play this weekend, but there ‘are no long-term ramifications,' Bregman said,” Rome wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The 65-55 Astros are looking to make another World Series run. Bregman's presence has been important for Houston. The Astros are obviously hopeful that he will not need to miss a significant amount of time.
Bregman dealt with an injury concern earlier in the 2024 campaign, but it ended up being nothing serious. Overall, Bregman has played in 116 of the Astros 120 games in 2024.
Bregman has not swung the bat all that well this season, but he's enjoyed some respectable moments. The third baseman is currently slashing .261/.318/.445/.764 in 509 plate appearances. He has also recorded 19 home runs and 25 doubles.
Bregman, a pending free agent, is surely looking to add a few dollars to his next contract with a strong end to the campaign. His comments suggest that he is optimistic in regards to his elbow injury. The third baseman is hoping to return sooner rather than later even though he may not play against the White Sox at all in this series.
Astros star Alex Bregman's upcoming free agency
Bregman will be one of the most popular free agents during the upcoming offseason. A two-time All-Star, Bregman's production has seen a decline in recent years. He's still been fairly reliable over the past couple seasons, though.
Sure, Bregman is not playing at the same level as his 2019 campaign when he finished second in American League MVP voting. That does not mean he will not attract interest in free agency. Many teams would love to add an experienced veteran third baseman with a high offensive ceiling to their rosters.