Bregman sits as leg heals up
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has a “slight tweak” in his hamstring and is not working out with the major league team, manager Dusty Baker revealed Wednesday.
Bregman was not spotted participating in infield drills or taking batting practice with the big league position player group during the first three days in camp. The two-time All-Star has been on the field and interacting with teammates but not participating in any way. Abraham Toro has taken most of the ground balls at third base in Bregman’s absence.
“It’s something that was here last year, and then he tweaked it while he was working out this winter,” Baker said Wednesday. “You know how hard he works. We may have to monitor his work for his own sake, because this guy works. His hamstring is sore again, so we just have to take care of it.”
Last August, Bregman missed three weeks after straining his right hamstring during a win over the Colorado Rockies. He’s had hamstring problems throughout his major league career, but nothing that matched the severity of last season’s strain.
Bregman suffered the injury Aug. 19 and did not return until Sept. 8, part of an uneven, subpar season from the Astros’ superstar third baseman. Bregman finished the year with an .801 OPS and .242 batting average — both well below his career averages.
On Monday, Bregman bemoaned his lackluster season, saying he was fragile and weak both physically and mentally. He gained more than 20 pounds while rededicating himself in the gym.
“We want to take him slow because we don’t want the same thing to happen this year that happened last year and the previous years,” Baker said.
Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is not working out with the major league team, either, but Baker ascribed his absence to part of a post-surgery plan. Alvarez underwent surgery on both knees last August but is expected to be ready for opening day.
Gurriel says he’s in better shape
Twenty-three games into his 2020 season, Yuli Gurriel appeared on track for a fine showing in the final year of his contract. After a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 18, Gurriel had a .300/ .373/.556 slash line. Twelve of his 27 hits had garnered extra bases.
Then, almost out of nowhere, Gurriel’s production plummeted. He mustered a .452 OPS over the final 34 regular-season games. His on-base percentage was .195. A 5for-44 showing during the postseason only fueled more frustration for the 36-year-old infielder.
“After about the first month of the season, I felt really exhausted, so that’s something I worked on a lot in the offseason, just getting better physically,” Gurriel said Wednesday through an interpreter. “And also the mental side of things as well. I think free agency was weighing on me a little bit as well.”
The Astros allayed some of Gurriel’s contract concerns last October, finalizing a one-year extension with a club option for the 2022 season. George Springer’s departure only intensifies the need for Gurriel to regain his form from 2019, when he slugged .541 and posted an .884 OPS.
Gurriel blamed a lack of conditioning and playing heavier than normal for most of his 2020 struggles. He went on a three-month diet this offseason to shed 15 pounds and started his training regimen two weeks after the American League Championship Series concluded.
“I feel a ton better physically compared to where I was at last year,” Gurriel said. “The biggest difference is I have the ability and the time physically to train, which I didn’t have the last year because of the pandemic.”
Whitley, Lee arrive at camp
Top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley and catcher Korey Lee ,a former first-round pick, joined Astros spring training camp Wednesday after completing MLB’s intake procedures.
Lee and Whitley were delayed by hiccups in their league-mandated intake screening. Each player who reported to spring training underwent a PCR test and an antibody test, after which a five-day quarantine was required. The delay in Lee and Whitley’s arrival does not automatically mean they tested positive for COVID-19.
Whitley was one of two players on the 40-man roster whose arrival was delayed by intake procedures. The Astros still have four players missing because of intake testing: righthanders Peter Solomon, Blair Henley and Hector Velazquez and catcher Colton Shaver.
Heralded Cuban outfield prospect Pedro Leon remains absent, too, with what the Astros described as an issue with his visa.