CBS Houston – Last year Alex Bregman was playing baseball for the Louisiana State University Tigers, helping them get to the College World series.

Fast forward only one year, he’s been drafted by the Houston Astros number two overall and he’s one of the fastest rising prospects in the minor leagues. In one year’s time, he has gone from low-level A-ball all the way to triple-A.

Bregman in only a handful of games with the Fresno Grizzlies (Astros triple-A team) is currently killing the baseball, batting a shade under .500 in a week of action. The obvious next question is, hey when is he coming up?!?!

“Any player that’s in triple-A that’s on the (40 man) roster has a shot to be back here,” Jeff Luhnow shared after Bregman’s amazing four-hit debut, “players like (Alex) Bregman that are not on the roster have a shot to be here, it depends on how we are playing what opportunities are.”

Bregman who is playing shortstop currently with the Grizzlies did get his feet wet at third base when he was in double-A earlier this season. By all accounts, he did a good job when manning that position.

With Carlos Correa at shortstop, there is zero chance Bregman will be coming up to play short.

Marwin Gonzalez and Luis Valbuena both occupy third base and there is room for a long-term answer at that position. Neither are awful but neither are guys you will keep in favor of a long-term answer be it Bregman or bringing someone in.

Calling up Bregman also wouldn’t mean that both Valbuena and Gonzalez are now out of a job. First base all season long has been a sore spot with no one able to hold down the position.

Tyler White early in the season went crazy and helped the Astros a lot in the first month of the season, but now he’s back in triple-A. The Astros also recently called up their other big name prospect A.J. Reed to get a shot at the first base job and so far he’s been less than impressive. In between White and Reed, it’s been Gonzalez and Valbuena holding down the fort at first, there is no reason to think with Bregman up they couldn’t continue to do the same.

“We’ve been playing really well for the past two months so as long as we can keep that up if we feel like someone can be additive to that formula we’ll do it, but otherwise, they’ll have to earn their way up by outplaying the guys up here,” Luhnow said.

Numbers say Bregman is outplaying someone, small sample size I know but five games in and he’s hitting .476 with, 4 home runs and 11 RBI’s.

Triple-A magic does not exactly mean that he or anyone will come up to the majors and be a monster from day one. There aren’t many “Correa’s” out there. This season alone the Astros have called up and started Tony Kemp, Colin Moran, White, and Reed. None have lived up to their minor league hype (yet).

By using those prospects it shows you they are not afraid to pull the trigger if and when there is a need. A couple of those guys weren’t even on the 40 man roster so to bring them up they had to cut someone loose and yet they still made the move to try and catch lightning in a bottle.

Bregman is now just the latest example of someone who could help them out if called upon. Whether or not it works and he’s a hit is a completely different story.

Still, only a handful of games under his belt in triple-A, he likely will need a little bit longer before he gets the call.

“I think right now, just being comfortable with pitching that is more intense than the pitching at double-A, there are a lot of good arms at double-A, but at triple-A, you got a lot of guys that have been in the big leagues so there already know how to pick apart your weaknesses,” Luhnow shared of what he’d like to see from the fast-rising prospect, “I assume like Carlos (Correa) did, he’ll have a period of time where he is struggling a little bit, Carlos it only lasted like 7-10 days maybe for Bregman it will be the same, but we want to see him go through some adversity and see him come out the other side.”

Last year the city of Houston was going through this same situation when Correa was called up to triple-A. People questioned, why not just bring him straight up to the show, it’s pretty clear he is ready to help.

While people complained and moaned, Correa’s stint in triple-A only lasted 27 games, and he had a little bit a roller coaster ride before he finally earned the call.

In his first nine games, he hit .326

The next nine games, he hit .121

The final nine before his call up, he hit .286

After his call-up, Correa went on to become the American League’s rookie of the year.

Bregman looks to be following in Correa’s footsteps, the feeling isn’t if he is going to get a call-up, it’s become when will he get the nod. Will it be 27 games like Correa, or if he keeps belting out home runs and RBI’s will the Astros have finally seen enough and bring him up.

Right now the Astros are in the middle of some really good play. The starting pitching is still not amazing, but they are giving the offense enough to work with. Some nights the offense is able to help them out and some nights it’s a fight to scratch one or two runs across the plate.

The offense can be better, Bregman could be one of the last remaining cogs that the team has been looking for before they are able to become a machine that rolls over its competition.

Bregman is proving triple-A just doesn’t seem to be much of a challenge to him. Would you rather him help in the minors or would rather see if he can help in the majors, I know which I’d pick.

Follow JR on twitter —–> @MrJoshua