HOUSTON — There will be “some uncertainty” over whether Alex Bregman can play third base for the rest of the season, he said Wednesday. That’s unsettling news for the Houston Astros’ already inflexible roster and for a soon-to-be free agent who is performing well in his career year.

Bregman returned to Houston’s starting lineup on Wednesday after missing five games due to swelling in his right elbow. As the team’s designated hitter, Bregman hit a solo home run in his first at-bat before going hitless in his next three at-bats.

When asked if he could return to third base for Thursday’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Bregman indicated that the problem on the inside of his elbow would need to be carefully managed for the remainder of the season. He reiterated that there was no structural damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, but swelling remained a problem.

“There are some little gremlins in there that are causing swelling that I just have to try to alleviate and keep the swelling down for the rest of the year,” Bregman said.

After the 2018 season, Bregman underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from the same elbow, although it’s unclear if that issue is related. Bregman resumed throwing before Wednesday’s game and said he “didn’t feel any pain or discomfort or anything like that.”

“But it’s going to be one of those things that we’ll take day by day and then see how it feels the rest of the year,” Bregman said.

Bregman said he doesn’t experience any pain when swinging or throwing, but putting his arm in uncomfortable positions can worsen some of his existing symptoms.

“Honestly, I haven’t really felt it with either, it’s more like when I put my arm in a weird position or sleep weird or something like that,” Bregman said.

“It just flares up. I’m trying to stop it. I’m just going to do everything we can, go out there, compete and fight my ass off.”

Bregman has turned things around completely after a brutal start to the season. Since posting an OPS of .534 on May 13, Bregman has become one of the most valuable players in the game, ranking 3.4 wins above replacement according to FanGraphs. Among third basemen, only Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and José Ramírez were worth more.

Wednesday’s home run raised Bregman’s OPS to .768 and his slugging percentage to .450. The ball left his bat at 109.1 mph – the second hardest ball he’s ever hit in his major league career.

The fact that Bregman can battle his elbow issues in Houston’s final 36 games should provide some comfort, but if he’s limited to the designated hitter role, it will complicate the construction of the Astros’ lineup.

That would effectively force manager Joe Espada to play Yordan Alvarez in left field every day – something he has long opposed – and instead let juniors Shay Whitcomb or Zach Dezenzo take over third base. The two rookies have combined to hit 9 of 47 pitches since being called up from Triple-A Sugar Land. Whitcomb also made an error on a routine groundball in Houston’s win on Monday.

By experimenting with catchers Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini at first base, Espada could put both of their hitters in the lineup, but eventually they’ll run out of spots for players locked into one or no position.

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(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)