Bregman isn't in the Astros' lineup Friday due to an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bregman has gone 7-for-19 with an RBI across his last four games, but he will sit down Friday as he recovers from an illness. Grae Kessinger will take over at third base and bat ninth, and he could be in line for more starts should Bregman have to miss multiple games.

Bregman went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI on Monday against the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Bregman has gotten off to a slow start to the season, as Monday's performance marked his first multi-hit effort. He also has just two RBI and one run scored across 11 games. While it's been a frustrating opening to the new campaign, Bregman is still striking out just 15.6 percent of the time and should see the rest of his numbers normalize over time.

Bregman went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a stolen base Friday against the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

The Astros couldn't muster much offense in a 7-1 loss, but Bregman had a productive game. He swiped his first bag of the season on a double steal with Kyle Tucker in the third inning and also tallied his first RBI of the campaign two frames earlier. Bregman attempted only four stolen bases in 2023, so his aggressiveness on the basepaths early in the new campaign is significant.

Bregman used weighted bats this offseason in the hopes of hitting for more power, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bregman has failed to top a .195 ISO in any of the last three seasons, and he's relied primarily upon a ballooning flyball rate for his homer production across the last two campaigns. Hitting coach Troy Snitker proposed the new workouts this offseason and Bregman relayed that he saw significant gains in his bat speed before reporting to spring training. He's set to hit free agency this offseason, and a resurgence in his ability to go yard would certainly help him attract interest from the Astros and other organizations.

Astros owner Jim Crane said in an interview with Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle this week that the team will "definitely" make Bregman a contract extension offer before he reaches free agency next offseason.

EDGE Analysis

For what it's worth, Crane was asked about Bregman's contract situation prior to the club announcing Jose Altuve's five-year, $125 million extension. Bregman is nearly four years younger than Altuve and seems inclined at this juncture to test out the free-agent market, so a long-term deal doesn't appear super likely. The third baseman slashed .262/.363/.441 with 25 home runs and 98 RBI for Houston in 2023.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a triple and two runs scored in Sunday's win over Arizona.

EDGE Analysis

Bregman got the scoring started with his home run during Houston's four-run first frame. He snapped a nine-game homerless drought and went deep just three times since the start of September. The veteran third baseman finishes the 2023 campaign with a .262/.363/.441 slash line, 25 home runs, 57 extra-base hits and 98 RBI across 161 games.

Bregman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Tuesday's 9-5 loss against the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

Despite entering Tuesday's tilt hitless in five of his last seven games, Bregman delivered a solo home run off Kyle Gibson in the third inning for his 24th long ball of 2023. The homer officially pushed him past his 2022 total and marked the third baseman's most home runs since 2019.

Bregman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk against Oakland in Wednesday's 6-2 win.

EDGE Analysis

Bregman followed Yordan Alvarez's three-run shot in the third inning with a solo blast of his own to give Houston a 4-0 lead. The homer was the first of September for the third baseman, and though he's hit well with a .298 batting average over 47 at-bats on the month, he's knocked in a modest four runs through 12 contests. Bregman nonetheless surpassed last season's total with his 94th RBI on Wednesday, and he needs six more down the stretch to finish with 100-plus RBI for the third time in his career.

Bregman went 4-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Monday's 13-6 win over the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Bregman's been red hot for over a week now, going 18-for-37 (.486) with nine RBI and a 1.352 OPS in his last nine games -- Monday's four-hit effort was his sixth multi-hit performance in that span. Overall, Bregman's slash line is up to .272/.370/.451 with 22 homers, 92 RBI and 89 runs scored across 619 plate appearances on the campaign.

Bregman went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.

EDGE Analysis

Bregman opened the scoring with a home run off Brayan Bello in the first inning, his 22nd of the season and fourth in his last 13 games. The 29-year-old third baseman has continued to swing a hot bat -- he's gone 31-for-84 (.369) with 13 extra-base hits over his previous 21 contests. Bregman's slash line is up to .265/.365/.447 with 89 RBI and 85 runs scored across 597 plate appearances on the campaign.