The Houston Astros have placed Aledmys Diaz on the injured list with a groin strain, per Mark Berman, the Sports Director at Fox 26. Taylor Jones is set to take over his roster spot.
Last season was Diaz’s first with the Astros. He joined the club from the Blue Jays in a straight-up swap for righty Trent Thornton. The utility infielder served his purpose in limited playing time last year, slashing .271/.356/.467 over 247 plate appearances. Houston’s stacked infield doesn’t allow for a ton of playing time for Diaz, though he’ll continue to serve as valuable injury insurance for the reigning AL champs. He appeared at first, second, third, short, left, and designate hitter for the Astros in 2019.
Diaz got the start at DH on Opening Day for the Astros this season, notching a single and a run scored in two at-bats before being replaced by Abraham Toro.
Jones, 26, will be making his major-league debut. He spent last season with Triple-A Round Rock, slashing an impressive .291/.388/.501 with 22 home runs, 86 runs, and 84 RBIs. Jones doesn’t offer quite the positional versatility of Diaz – but he’s not far off. Last year he played in all four corners. Despite the strong numbers last season, the 6’7″ Taylor is not considered one of the Astros better prospects. He didn’t make Fangraphs’ list of top-40 Astros’ prospects, though he did draw mention as a “masher” with enough power to rank with at least some big-league potential.
6’7”? I don’t trust anyone that tall.
That sounds like personal problem.
There are currently 13 AL teams tied for 2nd place behind the Astros.