Alex Bregman wants to hold contract extension talks after the season

The business can be sorted out later.

“Obviously, we’re open to talking [when the season is over],” Bregman told the Globe. “But for the next few months, I’m just really focused on the baseball.”

Bregman, a two-time World Series champion who has played in 99 postseason games, knows about as well as anybody the focus this time of year requires. Thus, it is of “big-time” importance to keep his attention on on-field goings-on, he said.

“I’m just focused on trying to do what I can to help this team win and get into the playoffs,” he said. “I feel like that’s where my head and mind need to be.”

Bregman joined the Red Sox on a three-year, $120 million contract in February. It includes an opt-out clause after each of the first two years, meaning he can — and almost certainly will, in the eyes of many across the baseball industry — become a free agent again after this season.

His agent, Scott Boras, said in June that he and Bregman were “always open to any conversation” about a longer-term discount. As is the case with many players mere weeks away from hitting the open market, however, Bregman immediately is content to hold off on that.

“Just want to do everything I can every day to try to help this team win games and keep my mind focused on that, preparing to play baseball,” Bregman said.

After a quick pit stop at his locker before the Red Sox faced the Padres, Bregman ran off to — in his words — “go fix my swing.”

In about a month since returning from a strained right quad, Bregman was hitting .282 with a .346 OBP and .451 slugging percentage entering Saturday. He had three home runs, three doubles, and 11 RBis in 20 games. That is solid but a step down from his pre-injury production.

“He’s going to keep progressing. He missed a lot of time. A lot of time,” manager Alex Cora said. “The fact that he’s posting every day and putting good at-bats and playing good defense and leading the team, that’s why we got him. He’s doing an amazing job.

“This kid only knows about August and September. He’s impacting the guys in that clubhouse. ‘Stay in the moment, don’t get ahead of yourself, don’t look around. Just stay here.’ He’s amazing. He’s really good at what he does.”

During batting practice, the Red Sox and Padres wore jerseys from high schools in the Hill Country area of Texas, which was devastated by floods last month.

The jerseys were to be signed and auctioned off to benefit the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, in conjunction with the San Antonio Missions, the Padres’ Double A affiliate.

“This is a fraternity, right? Just trying to help people,” Cora said. “Hopefully we can impact guys over there, try to help them to bounce back and get back on their feet and keep doing what they love to do: Play baseball.”

With Connor Wong playing regularly this week and Carlos Narváez managing a sore left knee, who is the Red Sox’ emergency catcher?

Abraham Toro, apparently.

“He doesn’t know it, but it’s Toro,” Cora said.

Toro started 15 games behind the plate in the lower minors in 2017.

Narváez continues to feel better and could catch if needed, Cora said, but probably won’t actually return to the lineup Sunday. Cora has liked pairing Wong with scheduled starter Brayan Bello, so Narváez’s return would get bumped to Monday in Houston.

Why did Jackson Merrill, the Padres’ center fielder and cleanup hitter, root for the Red Sox as a kid despite being born and raised in the Baltimore area?

He inherited the fandom from his father, Josh, who was the black sheep in a New York family full of Yankees fans, Merrill said.

“So I rode with him,” Merrill said.

Born in 2003, Merrill was too young to remember the Sox’ 2007 World Series title. But 2013 was prime childhood baseball-loving time. He said he was at Fenway Park for the September game in which the Red Sox clinched a playoff spot by beating the Orioles.

Merrill’s favorite: Dustin Pedoria.

“He was a gritty little player,” he said. “Made it work with what he had.”

Marcelo Mayer, who stayed in Boston to tend to his sprained right wrist, has not started baseball activities, according to Cora, who said he doesn’t know a timeline for that to happen . . . Padres’ Nick Pivetta after suffering one of his worst starts of the season against the Red Sox, his former team, on Friday: “I have a lot of love and respect for those guys over there. So just want to put my best foot forward and give a challenge. Obviously, they were able to get the better of me today. But, you know, I think it’s just excitement.” Pivetta spent time Saturday afternoon catching up on the field with some of the Sox.

Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.