Chas McCormick

Astros Promote Jacob Melton

By Nick Deeds | May 31, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

June 1: The Astros today announced Melton’s promotion to the big leagues. In corresponding moves, Dezenzo was placed on the 10-day injured list due to left hand inflammation while right-hander Ronel Blanco was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

May 31: The Astros are poised to select the contract of outfielder Jacob Melton, per a report from Ari Alexander of KPRC2. A corresponding move is not yet known, but Houston will need to create room on both the 40-man and active rosters in order to promote Melton.

Melton, 24, was Houston’s second-round pick in the 2022 draft. He is rated as the club’s #2 prospect by MLB Pipeline and became the club’s top prospect according to Baseball America’s ranking when fellow youngster Cam Smith graduated from prospect status earlier this month. Scouts have typically viewed Melton as a roughly average offensive performer, with above average raw power and solid bat-to-ball skills that are held back by an aggressive approach at the plate that leads to poor swing decisions and struggles identifying certain offspeed pitches.

Those flaws at the plate may restrict Melton’s offensive upside, but he’s universally lauded as a solid contributor both in the field and on the basepaths. Additionally, whatever concerns scouts may have about Melton’s approach haven’t stopped him from succeeding in the minors to this point. In 17 games at the Triple-A level so far this year, Melton has hit an impressive .254/.371/.508. That’s good for a 132 wRC+ even in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. Given those solid numbers, it’s not hard to see why the Astros have decided to give their young outfielder a shot at the big league level.

The timing of Melton’s promotion is especially prudent considering Houston’s current lineup situation. The switch-hitting Victor Caratini has been the club’s only regular hitter who bats from the left side ever since Yordan Alvarez went on the injured list in late April. Meanwhile, center fielder Jake Meyers is the club’s only true outfielder on the roster at the moment; longtime second baseman Jose Altuve has begun to split time between left field, DH, and the keystone this year, while both Smith and Zach Dezenzo have become fixtures in the corner outfield mix as well despite spending the vast majority of their minor league careers at third base.

Chas McCormick was also on the roster as a true outfielder alongside Meyers, but he was placed on the injured list today due to an oblique strain and replaced by infielder Shay Whitcomb on the roster. Altuve, Smith, and Dezenzo may have been enough to handle the outfield corners even without McCormick, but Dezenzo left today’s game with what the organization referred to as “left hand discomfort” and (according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle) is scheduled to undergo imagine tomorrow morning. With Dezenzo potentially out as well, it makes plenty of sense for Houston to get a lefty bat back into the lineup and shore up an outfield mix in desperate need of reinforcements by bringing Melton into the fold.

Astros’ GM Discusses Valdez, Bregman

By Anthony Franco | December 13, 2024 at 9:53pm CDT

Astros general manager Dana Brown met with reporters shortly after the team finalized its biggest trade in years. In the wake of sending Kyle Tucker to the Cubs for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith, Brown spoke about what’s next.

Most notably, he downplayed the chance of moving ace Framber Valdez. He indicated the front office continues to be open to offers on anyone but suggested he didn’t find it likely they’ll move the star lefty. “We’re not aggressively trying to move him, but we’ll listen,” Brown told reporters (link via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). “If you ask me if (I) think we’re going to trade Valdez, I don’t think we’re trading Valdez. I think he’s (a) pillar, and it’s really tough to keep a rotation intact, and we really feel like he’s going to be an important one in our rotation.”

Valdez and Tucker were each thrust into trade rumors on Monday, when Brown replied to a question on their availability by saying the team would “listen on all the players.” Today’s comments don’t refute that, though the Astros seem less motivated to pursue trade talks on Valdez now that they’ve moved Tucker. One of the primary motivations for trading either player was offloading their expensive projected salaries for their final season of arbitration. The Tucker trade should save the Astros around $9MM — the difference between the projections for Tucker’s and Paredes’ salaries — and drops their projected luxury tax number to roughly $225MM (courtesy of RosterResource). That puts them around $16MM shy of the base threshold.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Valdez for a $17.8MM salary. The Astros shouldn’t have as much of a desire to offload that money. Perhaps they will reconsider if they receive an offer that takes the general shape of the Tucker trade and allows them to acquire MLB help and at least one prospect of note. Brown acknowledged today that the club hasn’t had any extension talks with Valdez since last year, so they’re probably not optimistic about the chance of keeping him beyond next season. They’re still aiming to win the AL West in 2025, though, so they’re not going to move Valdez strictly for minor league talent.

Brown was also naturally asked how the Tucker trade impacts their pursuit of Alex Bregman. While there could be a few million dollars more to offer Bregman in the short term, landing Paredes gives the Astros a fallback at third base which they’d previously lacked. Brown indicated the Tucker trade doesn’t have much impact on the Bregman bidding. “Pretty much, Alex Bregman’s status [remains] the way it is,” he stated (link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). “Nothing has changed since the last time I’ve talked to you guys. … It’s still pretty much the same where we were Tuesday.”

There’s still room for Bregman on the roster. Paredes has played nearly 400 career innings at first base. He’s a serviceable defender at third base, but his profile is built around his bat. He wouldn’t lose a ton of value if he moves to the other side of the diamond. Houston needs first base help. They’d probably run a Jon Singleton and Zach Dezenzo platoon if the season opened today.

Brown acknowledged that the team was looking for a bat. They’re not going to find anyone of Tucker’s caliber, of course, but there’s still a decent amount of talent available in both the first base and corner outfield markets. Chandler Rome of the Athletic writes that Houston is looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder, in particular, as a direct replacement for the role Tucker filled.

The GM told Rome and other reporters that the Astros expect for Chas McCormick to open the season in right field while Jake Meyers plays center. He left the door open for a left field acquisition. Switch-hitter Jurickson Profar and lefty-swinging Max Kepler and Alex Verdugo are speculative possibilities who remain unsigned.

Astros Notes: Bregman, Dezenzo, McCormick

By Anthony Franco | November 5, 2024 at 11:58pm CDT

The Astros have made no secret about their hope of retaining Alex Bregman. General manager Dana Brown reiterated that optimism when speaking with reporters at the GM Meetings this afternoon.

“Our biggest priority is third base, without a doubt. We’d love to have Alex Bregman back. It’s our biggest priority,” Brown said (links via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle and Chandler Rome of the Athletic). The GM added that the Astros have had “productive conversations” with the Boras Corporation, though he didn’t elaborate on the status of talks or specify whether the team has actually made an offer. ESPN’s Alden González wrote in early October that Houston was preparing to do so in the near future.

The Astros don’t have many options to step in at third base if Bregman walks. Re-signing him will almost certainly require the biggest investment in franchise history, though, which casts real doubt about whether they’ll be able to get anything done. Brown himself acknowledged a few weeks ago that the team may need to be “creative” in managing payroll. The Astros haven’t gone beyond six years under owner Jim Crane. Bregman would probably require breaking that precedent. MLBTR predicted a seven-year, $182MM deal in ranking him as the offseason’s #3 free agent.

Brown suggested the Astros were open to going beyond six years in the right circumstances, though it’s clear the organization tends to shy away from those contracts. “I don’t think we’re going to be in the business of giving multiple seven-year deals or multiple eight-year deals. But if there’s an opportunity to sign a guy that we feel is going to be good for six or seven years, I think Jim would do it,” the GM said.

Houston faces questions in the opposite corner infield spot. First base was an issue all season. The Astros pulled the plug on the ill-fated José Abreu deal a few months into the year, but Jon Singleton didn’t perform well either. Brown acknowledged the team needed better production at that spot. It’s unclear whether they’re willing to go back into free agency for someone like Christian Walker, Paul Goldschmidt or Anthony Rizzo as they remain on the hook for the final season of the Abreu deal.

Brown pointed to Zach Dezenzo as a potential internal option. The 24-year-old hit well in a small sample in Triple-A. That didn’t translate in an even briefer MLB look. Dezenzo slumped to a .242/.277/.371 slash over his first 19 MLB contests. He’s a career .295/.377/.499 hitter over parts of three seasons in the minors. Dezenzo has experience at both corner infield spots and could factor into the third base mix if Bregman walks, though he’s probably a better defensive fit at first.

Turning to the outfield, Brown indicated the Astros planned to tender an arbitration contract to Chas McCormick (X link with video from Ari Alexander of KPRC 2). The right-handed hitter had a rough season, hitting .211/.271/.306 in 94 games. McCormick had posted very strong numbers through his first three big league campaigns, so it’s not much of a surprise that Houston plans to bring him back on a relatively modest salary. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $3.3MM sum. Brown added that the Astros could look for a left-handed hitting outfielder to potentially spell McCormick (and presumably Jake Meyers) against righty pitching.

AL West Notes: Alvarez, McCormick, Sborz, Drury

By Mark Polishuk | September 29, 2024 at 8:31pm CDT

Yordan Alvarez’s status is the biggest question mark facing the Astros as the postseason begins, but manager Joe Espada said Alvarez will take batting practice tomorrow. “That’s a really good sign. Just the fact that he’s able to hit and rotate and do stuff that a couple days ago I thought he wasn’t going to be able to do in a matter of days,” Espada told reporters, including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.

Alvarez hasn’t played since suffering a knee sprain while sliding on September 22, and it seems possible that the Astros might not tip their hand about his availability until Tuesday morning, when they have to release their rosters for their AL Wild Card Series with the Tigers. Waiting until the relative last minute makes it harder for the Tigers to prepare, and it also gives Alvarez and the Astros as much time as possible to evaluate the star slugger’s knee health.

Outfielder Chas McCormick might be another late roster decision, though MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes (X link) that McCormick took live batting practice today and is set for another live BP session tomorrow. McCormick has been sidelined since September 10 due to a fracture in his right hand, but has been able to take part in other baseball activities over the past week.

Astros Notes: Bregman, Alvarez, McCormick

By Nick Deeds | September 25, 2024 at 3:05pm CDT

Last week, Astros GM Dana Brown revealed that he hopes to talk about a new contract with third baseman Alex Bregman prior to the franchise third baseman hitting the open market this November. At the time of that interview, Brown indicated that he and Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras, had briefly talked regarding Bregman’s future and agreed to wait to begin any sort of contract discussions until “things are over.” Now, Bregman himself has chimed in and expressed a similar desire to put his impending free agency out of mind until the 2024 season has wrapped up.

“I haven’t really thought about it too much, honestly,” Bregman told reporters yesterday when asked about the possibility of leaving Houston, as relayed by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. “Just focused on trying to win a game and get this division clinched… Just been really focused on winning.”

Waiting until the end of the postseason (or for the Astros to be eliminated) before engaging in talks regarding Bregman’s future in Houston comes as something of a surprise, particularly given Brown’s long-standing commitment to talking with the third baseman and his representation before he hits free agency. With that being said, it’s not necessarily a shock from the player’s perspective that he would prefer to focus on the upcoming playoff run before turning to contract negotiations.

Generally, it’s extremely rare for players to re-up with their current club this close to free agency, particularly when it comes to stars of Bregman’s caliber. It does happen on occasion, though, as it did when the Mets retained closer Edwin Diaz on a record-breaking contract just days before free agency opened during the 2022-23 offseason. That Bregman is represented by the Boras Corporation, which has generally advised its clients to establish their values on the open market, could be another potential roadblock to a deal coming together before he hits free agency. Of course, it must be noted that Boras clients do sign extensions with their clubs on occasion; Bregman himself did so earlier in his career, and fellow third baseman Matt Chapman inked a long-term extension with the Giants earlier this month despite a return to free agency being just two months away at that point.

While Bregman’s uncertain future looms over the club in the longer term, a much more immediate concern is the status of star slugger Yordan Alvarez with the playoffs just around the corner. Alvarez exited the club’s game on Sunday due to a right knee sprain, but seemed somewhat optimistic after speaking to reporters about the issue yesterday (X video link courtesy of KHOU11’s Luis Ortiz). Alvarez said that while he’s had an easier time walking in the days since his exit, he still has to wait for the inflammation in his knee to go down before he can return to playing. That will leave him out of action for the club’s final series of the season against Guardians, as manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Kawahara) earlier today.

It’s not necessarily a surprise that the Astros would have Alvarez take the remainder of the regular season off, given his importance to the club’s hopes of making noise in the postseason. After all, Houston clinched their fourth consecutive AL West title last night with a win over the Mariners, and it is no longer possible for them to catch either the Guardians or the eventual AL East champion in order to earn a bye through the upcoming Wild Card Series. That makes the final few games of the regular season largely meaningless for the club, offering them little incentive to rush Alvarez back and potentially worsen his injury woes.

It’s unclear at this point whether or not Alvarez will be ready to return to action in time for the Wild Card series, but even if he doesn’t it’s possible he’ll be available in later postseason rounds should the Astros continue to advance. His regular season comes to a close with a career-high 147 games under his belt and a typically excellent slash line of .308/.392/.567 with a wRC+ of 167 and 35 homers in 635 trips to the plate.

It’s a similar story for outfielder Chas McCormick, who has been on the injured list due to a fractured right hand for just over two weeks now. As relayed by Kawahara, Espada told reporters that McCormick is “moving in the right direction” and “looking pretty good” despite the fact that he won’t be joining the club for its final regular season games in Cleveland. The 29-year-old has resumed baseball activities, including reps in the batting cage and drills in the outfield, and could still be an option for the Astros in next week’s Wild Card Series. McCormick had a disappointing regular season where he hit just .211/.271/.306 (66 wRC+), but he was putting together something of a hot streak in the days prior to his injury as he went 10 for his last 24 with a double, a homer, and a walk in his final eight games of the regular season.

Chas McCormick Suffers Fractured Hand

By Steve Adams | September 12, 2024 at 10:15am CDT

10:15am: The Astros have now formally placed McCormick on the injured list. They also optioned righty Nick Hernandez to Triple-A. Infielder Grae Kessinger and lefty Bryan King were recalled from Triple-A in a pair of corresponding moves.

10:05am: Astros outfielder Chas McCormick is headed to the 10-day injured list with a small fracture in his right hand, he told the team’s beat last night (video link via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart). He suffered the injury upon colliding with the outfield fence while pursuing a foul ball. The fracture, located “right underneath” McCormick’s index finger, is “not a serious thing” and is small enough that the outfielder is still hoping to return this season. There are just 17 days left on the regular season schedule, though another deep postseason run for Houston could obviously make that return more feasible.

The team has yet to formally announce the IL placement, though that’ll happen before today’s day game against the A’s. A corresponding move will be announced at the time. With McCormick on the shelf, Houston’s outfield mix will consist of Yordan Alvarez, Jake Meyers, Jason Heyward and Ben Gamel — plus any potential call-up who takes his roster spot. Star right fielder Kyle Tucker has played exclusively as a designated hitter and pinch-hitter since returning from a monthslong absence due to what was originally termed a bone bruise but eventually revealed to be a fractured shin. He’s collected two hits in 16 plate appearances.

The timing of the injury is frustrating for McCormick — “disappointing” to use his own words. The 28-year-old has been struggling through the worst season of his professional career and was even optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land last month, only to return just days later when Meyers was placed on the paternity list. McCormick doubled in his first game back, collected two hits in his second game and has played well enough since that brief minor league assignment that manager Joe Espada has been playing him regularly.

McCormick has tallied three multi-hit games in the past week and told the ’Stros beat the he was “feeling like [him]self finally” at the plate when the injury happened. It’s obviously a minuscule sample, but he’s hitting .417/.440/.583 over his past 25 trips to the plate. That’s only boosted his season slash to .211/.271/.306, but he was obviously trending in the right direction.

Only time will tell whether McCormick can indeed make it back this season. He’s at the mercy of how quickly the small break in his hand mends and at how deep his teammates can progress in the postseason (assuming they indeed qualify; FanGraphs gives them a 94% chance to do so at the moment). Every injury plays out differently, however, and it’s not yet clear who Houston will face in the event that they do indeed reach the playoffs for a ninth straight season.

Prior to this year’s dreadful campaign, McCormick was a quietly productive member of a perennial World Series contender in Houston. He batted .273/.353/.489 with a career-high 22 homers in 2023 and entered the current season as a lifetime .259/.336/.449 hitter with particularly formidable numbers against lefties and quality defensive ratings across all three outfield spots. McCormick is earning $2.85MM and is controlled for two more seasons via arbitration.

Astros Designate Janson Junk For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | August 29, 2024 at 4:05pm CDT

The Astros announced that they have signed outfielder Jason Heyward and optioned outfielder Chas McCormick, two moves that were previously reported. To open a 40-man spot for Heyward, right-hander Janson Junk has been designated for assignment. The club also reinstated right-hander Ryan Pressly from the injured list and optioned left-hander Bryan King.

Junk, 28, was just claimed off waivers from the Brewers at the start of this month and has been kept on optional assignment since then. He made four starts for Triple-A Sugar Land, allowing 10 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings.

Since the trade deadline has passed, the Astros will have to put him back on waivers in the coming days. He could perhaps garner interest from clubs in need of innings. He only has four major league frames on his track record so far, with an unimpressive 5.18 ERA. But from 2021 to the present, he has tossed 356 2/3 minor league innings with a 3.84 ERA. His 20.4% strikeout rate in that time is a bit below average but his 7.4% walk rate is strong and he’s also had solid ground ball rates.

He will be out of options next year but can still be optioned for the rest of the 2024 season. He has less than a year of service time and can therefore be controlled well into the future, but he will have less roster flexibility by the next campaign.

Astros Option Chas McCormick

By Steve Adams | August 29, 2024 at 9:59am CDT

The Astros optioned outfielder Chas McCormick to Triple-A Sugar Land following last night’s game — presumably to clear an active roster spot for the pending arrival of newly signed outfielder Jason Heyward. The team didn’t formally announce the move yet, but McCormick took it upon himself to call the Astros beat over to his locker last night and inform them of the news after he’d been told (X links via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Houston still needs to clear a 40-man spot for Heyward.

It’s the first time McCormick has been sent to the minors since June 2022 — a trip that only lasted one day, as he was quickly recalled to the big leagues after Michael Brantley landed on the injured list. With the exception of that one-day trip to Sugar Land, this new optional assignment is the first time McCormick has been sent down since initially being called to the majors. (He’s briefly played in the minors in the past two years while on injury rehab assignments but hasn’t actually been optioned.)

The 2024 season has been a nightmare for the 29-year-old McCormick and a noted departure from the productive three-year stretch he enjoyed from 2021-23. McCormick posted a solid .257/.319/.447 slash as a rookie in 2021, enjoyed a more productive year in 2022 and broke out with a career-best .273/.353/.489 slash last year. McCormick enjoyed career-best marks in home runs (22), doubles (17), stolen bases (19), plate appearances (457), strikeout rate (25.6%), wRC+ (134) and wins above replacement (3.3 fWAR, 3.6 bWAR) during that standout 2023 campaign.

Everything has trended in the wrong direction in 2024. The 2017 21st-rounder has posted a disastrous .192/.256/.292 batting line in 243 plate appearances this season. McCormick’s 28.8% strikeout rate isn’t a career-worst but is a significant increase from last year. His 6.6% walk rate is a career-low. McCormick has chased pitches off the plate at the highest rate of his career (33.1%) and made contact on pitches within the strike zone at the lowest rate of his career (76%). The contact he’s made has generally been weak. Statcast pegs him with career-worst marks in average exit velocity (85.2 mph), barrel rate (7.8%) and hard-hit rate (31.4%). McCormick has hit more infield flies (six) in a career-low 243 plate appearances this season than he has in any previous campaign.

Depending on the amount of time McCormick spends in Sugar Land, there could be contractual implications. He entered the 2024 season with exactly three years of service, meaning he’d need 172 days in the majors to hit four years of service. At the moment, he’s accrued 154 days of major league service. McCormick still needs another 18 days to cross four years of service and remain on track for free agency in the 2026-27 offseason. If he’s not recalled on or before Sept. 12, his path to free agency will be pushed back by a year.

For now, the focus will be getting McCormick back on track down in Triple-A, where he can get everyday at-bats that haven’t been available as a contending Astros club looks to stay atop a closely contested AL West race. McCormick did pinch-hit in last night’s game and swat a two-run homer, though that was just his fourth hit in 48 plate appearances since the trade deadline.

At the moment, with Kyle Tucker still on the shelf, the Astros’ outfield mix includes Jake Meyers, Yordan Alvarez, utilityman Mauricio Dubon, journeyman Ben Gamel and (soon) the aforementioned Heyward. With Alvarez working primarily as a designated hitter (81 games there versus 43 in left field) and three lefty-swinging options in the outfield mix (Alvarez, Gamel, Heyward), there should be room for McCormick’s right-handed bat if a brief minor league reset can get him back on track. That’s particularly with rosters set to expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1. While he’s struggled against lefties and righties alike this season, McCormick is still a career .286/.358/.508 hitter against southpaws.

Astros Notes: Alvarez, Abreu, Rotation

By Steve Adams | May 30, 2024 at 2:29pm CDT

Jose Abreu’s return from an optional assignment to the minor leagues will indirectly further crowd the the team’s outfield mix, writes Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Manager Joe Espada said yesterday that with Abreu back on the roster, Yordan Alvarez is likely to see more time in left field, allowing both Abreu and Jon Singleton to be in the lineup at first base and designated hitter.

Alvarez has made consecutive starts in left field after previously appearing in only three games at the position. Espada noted that Alvarez picking up outfield at-bats will come at the expense of Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon, adding that he’ll still work to keep everyone involved in the mix for playing time. (MVP candidate Kyle Tucker and center fielder Jake Meyers, in the midst of a breakout showing, naturally don’t appear as though their playing time will be impacted.)

Abreu is 1-for-6 with an RBI single since being recalled from a monthlong sojourn to the minor leagues — a rare assignment for a veteran of his status but one to which the former AL MVP consented after a disastrous start to the season. He went 7-for-22 with a homer and a pair of doubles with Houston’s Rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate. Abreu then played a pair of games in Triple-A Sugar Land and went 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts.

The Astros are trying what they can to get Abreu back on track after a disappointing debut campaign in 2023 and a calamitous .099/.156/.113 slash through his first 77 plate appearances of the current campaign. It’s not clear what kind of leash Abreu will have, particularly with Houston sitting 6.5 games back in both the AL West and in the AL Wild Card chase, but Abreu’s three-year, $58.5MM contract gives the team plenty of financial incentive to try to turn things around.

Between Abreu and the 32-year-old Singleton, who returned to the majors after a seven-year absence last season, the Astros’ first base mix has been woefully unproductive. Singleton has turned in a .221/.327/.359 slash — roughly league-average offense (102 wRC+) that’s been accompanied by poorly rated defense (-4 Defensive Runs Saved, -4 Outs Above Average in 293 innings).

That lackluster output from the team’s first basemen is just one of many reasons the Astros find themselves staring at a 24-32 record with more than a third of the season in the books. The rotation’s health — or rather, the lack thereof — has also been a prominent factor. On that front, Espada provided a mixed bag of updates.

On the positive side of things, right-hander Luis Garcia is continuing to progress well in his rehab from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He threw off a mound at Minute Maid Park last week, and MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart tweets that the right-hander is now slated to throw to hitters in his next throwing session. McTaggart adds that righty Lance McCullers Jr., who’s on the mend from flexor surgery, threw a bullpen session this week but is still “a few weeks” from facing live hitters.

Facing live hitters and pitching in simulated game settings are often the last steps before an injured pitcher is cleared to set out on a minor league rehab assignment. Garcia will presumably have multiple live batting practice sessions before progressing to a rehab stint, which could last up to 30 days itself. A return isn’t right around the corner just yet, but he’s on track for a midsummer debut this year. McCullers, it seems, isn’t terribly far behind him.

Less encouraging were Espada’s updates on injured right-handers Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier. Both are “getting opinions from other doctors,” according to Espada (via McTaggart). Seeking second opinions is always an ominous step for a pitcher, particularly when both are dealing with this type of injury. Urquidy has yet to pitch this season after suffering a forearm strain in spring training. Javier went on the injured list last week with forearm discomfort.

Astros Notes: Abreu, McCormick, Urquidy

By Nick Deeds | May 19, 2024 at 2:26pm CDT

The Astros are likely to return a couple of regulars to the big league roster in the coming days according to GM Dana Brown, who told club radio broadcaster Robert Ford (as relayed by Chandler Rome of The Athletic and Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle) that both first baseman Jose Abreu and outfielder Chas McCormick are nearing returns to action.

Per Kawahara, Brown indicated to Ford that McCormick, who has been out of action since late April due to a hamstring strain, could return to the Astros lineup as soon as tomorrow. The 29-year-old scuffled a bit to open the season prior to his injury, slashing a lackluster .236/.325/.278 in 21 games prior to the injury. Even so, the return of McCormick could provide a noticeable boost to the club’s offense assuming he’s healthy. After all, he was one of the club’s top offensive contributors last year when he posted a strong .273/.353/.489 slash line in 115 games. That strong showing appeared to earn him the opportunity to take a larger role with the club going forward, although given the strong performance of Jake Meyers as the club’s regular center fielder in McCormick’s absence it’s certainly possible that those circumstances have changed.

As for Abreu, Rome indicates that the veteran could join the club in Oakland on Friday for their series opener against the A’s. Abreu agreed to be optioned to the minor leagues at the end of last month after scuffling to a brutal .099/.156/.113 slash line in 77 trips to the plate this season. The 37-year-old got into his first game action in a pair of Florida Complex League games the past two days, going 2-for-10 with a double and a walk in those appearances. Brown added that Abreu is expected to get into “a few” more games before he returns to the Astros, although it’s not yet clear if those will be additional FCL games or if he’ll instead advance to the Triple-A level as he prepares to face big league pitching for the first time in nearly a month.

Abreu is in the second season of a three-year, $58.5MM deal he signed with the Astros prior to the 2023 season. So far, that deal has not gone how either side was surely hoping. In addition to Abreu’s brutal start to the 2024 campaign, the veteran is coming off a down season in 2023 where he slashed just .237/.296/.383 in 141 games with Houston. That performance resulted in a wRC+ of just 86, making 2023 the first below average offensive season of the first baseman’s career. While Abreu has been away from the club, Jon Singleton has primarily handled first base duties and has held his own in the role with a .222/.322/.364 slash line that’s 1% better than league average by measure of wRC+.

In other Astros news, right-hander Jose Urquidy threw 59 pitches in a rehab start at the Double-A level last night. According to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, the right-hander is set to make one more rehab start before being activated from the injured list. That Urquidy is nearing a return is surely a major relief for Houston, as the club’s starting rotation has been fraught with difficulties throughout the season. Rotation stalwarts Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez have each spent time on the injured list already this year, while J.P. France, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti have all struggled badly with ERAs north of 7.00. Right-hander Ronel Blanco emerged early in the season as a surprising anchor for the club’s rotation, but the righty is in the midst of a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s foreign substance policy that has put a further strain on Houston’s pitching apparatus.

Given those major struggles, it would be a huge help for the Astros if Urquidy can even deliver roughly average results out of the rotation. That was hardly an issue for the 29-year-old earlier in his career, as he pitched to a solid 3.74 ERA with a 4.35 FIP in 63 career appearances through the end of the 2022 season. Unfortunately, the right-hander struggled significantly last season and posted a 5.29 ERA (79 ERA+) with a 5.38 FIP in 63 innings between the rotation and bullpen as his strikeout rate dipped to a measly 16.4% while his walk rate crept up to 9.1%. Despite those struggles, the right-hander figures to slot into the rotation in place of Arrighetti or Brown and allow the club to either move the youngsters to the bullpen or allow them to work things out in the minors.

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