HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Astros third baseman Alex Bregman took another in his rehab from a left quad strain by taking batting practice before Wednesday's game against the Oakland A's at Minute Maid Park, but he says that part of his comeback process is secondary.
"I think the biggest thing is just running honestly. Whenever I'm ready to run I'm going to be back playing in the lineup."
Bregman has missed 19 games since suffering the injury trying to beat a ground ball in the first inning of the Astros game against the Texas Rangers on June 16. He said he ran at 85-90 percent of his max before taking swings on the field.
"For right now it's just building up and following this progression, so I get my legs underneath me, but we're moving in the right direction."
When asked if he had a target date for a return to action, the Astros third baseman quipped, "hopefully sell out Albuquerque", his hometown and home of the Colorado Rockies AAA affiliate. Sugar Land is scheduled to play there on July 15-20, but he's not going to push it.
"Whenever I'm healthy to return is where I'll return, so we're playing it day-by-day, progress in the running, but it's gone a lot better than I originally thought when it happened, so I'm happy with the progress."
This is the third leg injury that has forced Bregman to miss time over the last year, so he said part of this rehab process is focused on fixing the alignment of his lower half.
"It's been a big focus of just getting everything squared away and making sure none of this happens again."
If Wednesday's game was a playoff game, Bregman said he'd be playing and that he could've been playing for the last week, but he understands that's not the smartest approach, and he won't return until he's 100 percent ready.
