Bregman day to day after tweaking hamstring

HOUSTON -- All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman will miss at least one game and perhaps more after injuring his right hamstring while running the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Astros' 6-3 comeback victory over the Yankees on Tuesday.

Bregman reached base on a passed ball on strike three and advanced to second on defensive indifference, then immediately signaled for the team’s medical staff and removed himself from the game. Afterward he said he would definitely miss Wednesday’s game against the Yankees. With the Astros off on Thursday, he is hopeful it will be no more than that.

"Little tweak, I guess," Bregman said. "Strain, whatever. Day to day."

Asked about missing time, he said, "I mean, hopefully, just tomorrow. We’ll see."

Bregman has become arguably the Astros' best offensive player in the last year, and he finished Tuesday’s game with an eight-game hitting streak after hitting a double in the seventh inning. He’s hitting .500 with seven walks during the streak.

"He’s an MVP-type player, one of the greats in the game," Jose Altuve said. "I just want him to be smart about it. If he’s going to take a couple of days, it’s early in the season. We want him to be healthy when we really need him."

Bregman missing an extra game or two in April would be far less important than missing time down the stretch, when the Astros hope to be going for their fourth postseason appearance in five seasons.

"It’s very, very early," George Springer said. "He doesn’t try to need to be the hero. I’m going to tell him to be smart, make sure you’re 100 percent."

Last season, Bregman was the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player and led the American League in doubles, with 51. He finished fifth in AL MVP voting.

"We’ll see how he feels the next couple of days,” manager AJ Hinch said.