Astros: Alex Bregman is Raking While Danny Worth Rides the Pine

The Astros are not using Danny Worth, why not bring up Alex Bregman then?

The Houston Astros lost last night and have three games remaining before the All-Star break. They are now six games above .500 at 46-40 on the season, looking to get some more wins versus three unproven pitchers for the Athletics in the next three games. I will not focus too much on the game, but I ask a very simple question, where is Danny Worth?

While Worth was not supposed to be a big factor on the team, his playing time has diminished in the past week. He has not played since July 2 versus the White Sox, where he went hitless with a walk. In the 11 games that he has appeared in an Astros uniform, he has only started six of them since June 14th. Worth is batting .148 on the season with his call to fame being a two-double game on June 18th.

What you may be surprised about with how well this team has played recently is that they are carrying three players batting below .200 on the season. Jake Marisnick (.179), A.J. Reed (.138), and Worth are all below the Mendoza Line. While the Astros will give Reed at least another week or two to get on track with his pedigree, Worth is not in the same boat. The Astros are keeping Marisnick on the roster because of his speed and defense.

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Why keep Worth on the 25-man roster just to let him rot on the bench? While he did have a great season at Triple-A before his call-up, his career major league stats sing a different tune. He was a waiver claim by the Astros this past offseason, but not a major part of the plans. He earned his way onto the Astros roster but has not done enough to keep it.

Meanwhile, Alex Bregman is tearing up Triple-A pitching with eight extra-base hits in eight games, five of which have been homers. He has not played any third base for Fresno, but that doesn’t mean that the Astros won’t bring him up to play third base. According to Jeff Luhnow via Jake Kaplan, they didn’t want to add any extra pressure playing third while he learned how to hit AAA pitching. I think he is pretty comfortable now as he hit his fifth homer last night.

When asked if the Astros would be comfortable with Bregman playing third base with what they saw in Double-A, Luhnow said probably? He mentioned how the Cubs could throw catchers into the outfield, to get an impact player into the lineup they will make the adjustments needed. When asked if Bregman will be called up in July, below is his response.

“I’d say the type of player he is and what he’s done so far, all bets are off as far as traditional timing and path,” he said. “It could be sooner. It depends on some other factors. But anything’s in play at this point.”

Bregman is due to play in the All-Star Futures game next week along with Joseph Musgrove so he will be away from the Fresno team. Why send him back, DFA Worth and bring him up to start the unofficial second half of the season with the Astros? It will happen at some point this season, call up Bregman now to be the third baseman and move Luis Valbuena to first base. Reed and Evan Gattis can platoon at designated hitter.

Next: Astros: With Alex Bregman Rising, Luis Valbuena is Thriving

Why trade for a bat, when the Astros have Bregman ready? Give him a chance now, everywhere Bregman goes, winning seems to follow. I’m sure Jeremy Booth of Program 15 would tell me that he is not ready, but we will never know if we don’t try.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***