Bregman proves he's ready for '24 with 2 three-run blasts

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Astros third baseman Alex Bregman came to camp excited about the work he did during the offseason in Phoenix, where he worked diligently on his swing with the hopes of driving the ball more in the regular season.

Less than a week before the season opener against the Yankees, Bregman crushed a pair of home runs, hit a double and finished with six RBIs in the Astros’ 13-5 win over the Mets on Saturday -- a great sign for the Astros. Bregman took a ton of at-bats on the back fields this spring, but these were the first two homers he’d hit in Grapefruit League play.

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“I don’t know if it really means anything,” he said. "I feel good. I feel like I squared the ball up this spring and hit the ball on the barrel and hit a lot of line drives. If we continue that into the season, I’ll have a good year.”

Bregman is slashing .383/.431/.596 this spring (1.027 OPS) in 51 plate appearances and will hit either third or fourth in manager Joe Espada’s lineup.

“He has a short, compact swing,” Espada said. “The swing decisions are always so good. The ball is coming out of the bat differently right there and there’s a level of confidence he’s playing with that’s really fun to watch.”

Bregman hit a three-run home run in the first inning off Mets left-hander Jose Quintana, sending a changeup over the left-field wall. It traveled a Statcast-estimated 388 feet. He doubled to left in the third and crushed a curveball from Wilkin Ramos in the fourth, sailing it over the wall and 393 feet for a three-run homer.

“I feel very good,” he said. “I feel better than I felt during the offseason. Just kind of fell in love with the process of it. I feel like I love the work and just kind of wanted to really just focus on putting in the work in the gym, in the cage. Feel great.”

Bregman, who turns 30 in a week, is entering the final year of his contract and said Saturday the club has yet to make him an extension offer. Astros general manager Dana Brown has said he planned to make Bregman an offer, but it’s yet to come. Bregman said he’d be willing to let his agent, Scott Boras, negotiate on his behalf during the season.

“I will be focused on playing and letting him take care of that,” he said. “We’re listening to whatever. I’m just ready to play.”

Bregman has put together back-to-back solid seasons after battling injuries the previous two years. Last year, he played in 161 games, slashing .262/.363/.441 with 25 homers, 98 RBIs, 103 runs scored and 92 walks for a 122 OPS+. He was also a Gold Glove finalist at third base and appeared on one American League Most Valuable Player ballot.