Bregman feels ‘100 percent’

» Third baseman joins Astros for road trip, could be activated soon.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said Thursday he is back at full strength after recovering from a hamstring injury and is ready to rejoin the active roster during the team’s upcoming road trip.

Bregman suffered a strained right hamstring Aug. 19 in Denver against the Rockies and was placed on the injured list a day later with what the team projected would be a threeweek absence.

“I feel great. I feel 100 percent,” he said in a conference call before Thursday’s Astros-Rangers game. “I’ve been working with the trainers and strength coaches, and they’ve done an amazing job of helping me out.

“I’m looking forward to it and getting back to what I love to do: competing and playing the games.”

Bregman had what manager Dusty Baker described as a light workout day Thursday after a Wednesday workout that included fielding work and significant running drills.

“He fielded yesterday, he ran quite a bit, so we had to give him some time off from running,” Baker said. “He did a lot of hitting and looked as good as usual.

“He thinks he’s ready, and he’ll go on the road trip with us, and we’ll see how and when we’re going to activate him.”

Bregman said he hopes for the quickest possible return after running at 100 percent capacity, taking swings and ground balls “and feeling good doing it.”

“I feel strong, especially in that hamstring,” he said. “The team doctors and (physical therapists) and the people in Corpus Christi (the Astros’ alternate training site) helped out a ton.”

He said he suffered a hamstring injury in 2016, but the most recent injury was not as serious.

Baker said the Astros will study how to use Bregman during his return, whether to play him on consecutive games initially and how to reconstruct the roster with him along with the recent return of Aledmys Diaz.

Bregman, however, said, “I want to play every single game.”

The third baseman also was named Thursday as the Astros’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes players who represent the game with character, community involvement, philanthropy and on- and off-field contributions.

Bregman this year launched #FEEDHOU along with the Houston Food Bank, raising $1.9 million to assist area residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and associated job losses. He contributed $100,000 to the campaign and enlisted the Astros Foundation and other donors on its behalf.

He and his fiancée, Reagan Howard, also handed out food at the food bank and NRG Park, and he hosted a charity gaming fundraiser on the Twitch social platform.

Bregman played at LSU, and he said his current focus is on joining other players with Louisiana ties to assist residents who were affected by Hurricane Laura.

“We’re hoping to send a few trucks (of food) to Louisiana to help people who are food insecure,” he said. “It’s super sad. (Storm damage) is devastating, and 97 percent of the schools were impacted.”

Bregman said he was honored by the Clemente award nomination.

“A lot of people have helped me get to the big leagues and gain this platform to be able to make an impact,” he said. “I’m grateful to everyone in Houston who has helped out and helped each other during tough times.

“Everyone in Houston is rallying around each other, and it’s amazing to see people helping their neighbors and being kind and giving during such a tough time.”