Astros: Could Alex Bregman Need More Time in Left Field?

Maybe The Astros Were Not Comfortable with Bregman’s Play in the Outfield Yet.

Now that we know that Alex Bregman will not be joining the Houston Astros tonight, we can look at why. There were too many people out there reporting that Bregman was set to join the Astros just to be false reporting. What if the Astros had every intention of bringing Bregman up today, but they got cold feet?

The Front Office is not worried about Bregman’s bat; he has dominated Triple-A pitching after tearing up Double-A earlier. The unofficial rule is to promote a player when they have mastered that level, so why is he not in Houston?

The move that the Astros did not make last night tells me one thing, they don’t think Bregman is ready to play left field. If you are one of my regular readers or listeners to Talking Stros, you would know that I think that he will be the third baseman.  However, the fact that Bregman is still in Triple-A tells me that I was wrong. He will play left field and third base.

With the Astros recent signing of Yulieski Gurriel, plans have changed for Bregman. The team could see Gurriel as a better option for the hot corner this year, but plans could change in the future. Gurriel could be the veteran-like presence at third base for the playoffs, while Bregman learns on the go. Gurriel will not be up until mid-August at the earliest, so Bregman could play some third base in the meantime, but must be comfortable in the outfield.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

If Bregman is not ready to play the outfield, you can’t blame the Astros for wanting him to get some more playing time in the minors, not in the playoffs chase with the Astros. You want him to get some more experience as the left fielder, but how long will they keep him down?

Preston Tucker is up instead of Bregman, so expect to see another move soon with Danny Worth struggling to hit at the big league level. This is not a bad thing for the Astros, and we don’t want Bregman misjudging a fly ball that loses a game that keeps us out of the playoffs.

In summary, Bregman will stay with Fresno to focus on playing in the outfield. I still expect him to be up before or at the trade deadline as the Astros deadline acquisition. When we are whining about no trades, Luhnow will say, BTW, Bregman will come up tomorrow.

Next: Astros Call Up Preston Tucker, Alex Bregman’s Still with Fresno

However, if Bregman is playing shortstop tonight for Fresno, someone has some explaining to do. Let’s focus on this evening’s game and put Bregman-Gate on the back burner for now.