Astros third baseman Alex Bregman undergoes wrist surgery

The Astros announced that third baseman Alex Bregman underwent surgery on his right wrist Monday, though the procedure isn’t expected to impact his readiness for the 2022 season. The team’s projected timeline sees Bregman as restarting baseball activities in 6-10 weeks, which should mean he’s set for the start of Spring Training in February.

Bregman has been battling wrist problems since September, as Astros teammate Carlos Correa revealed to Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein during the World Series. Bregman downplayed any physical issues but something clearly seemed amiss with his performance at the plate in October. While he had a few big moments during Houston’s playoff run, Bregman hit only .217/.304/.300 with one home run over 69 plate appearances this postseason.

The wrist surgery comes after an injury-plagued year in general for the third baseman. Bregman played in only 91 games after missing over two months rehabbing a left quad strain, and he also spent a week on the COVID-related injury list in April. Though it all, Bregman still provided above-average (113 OPS+, 115 wRC+) offense and hit .270/.355/.422 with 12 home runs over 400 PA, though it was a decided step backwards from his All-Star numbers in 2018-19. Getting Bregman healthy and fully back on track would be a welcomed boost to an Astros lineup that might lose Correa to free agency this winter.