Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Jake Meyers

Astros Not Planning To Trade Jake Meyers

By | at

Chatting with reporters from the Winter Meetings, Astros general manager Dana Brown indicated this evening that the team is planning to give Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick regular outfield run (relayed by Ari Alexander of KPRC 2). Meyers will get the first shot at holding down the center field job, while McCormick is expected to play primarily in left field.

It’s a more notable announcement with regard to Meyers. MLB.com’s Jon Morosi suggested a couple weeks ago that the Astros were discussing the 27-year-old in trade talks. Brown downplayed that possibility, acknowledging that while the club received some calls on Meyers, they have no interest in moving him.

Entering the season with Meyers atop the center field depth chart is a fairly risky play for a team that intends to compete for a division title. The Nebraska product hasn’t provided much offensively over parts of three big league campaigns. He’s a career .235/.296/.379 hitter. Meyers ran a similar .227/.296/.382 batting line in a personal-high 347 plate appearances last season. He hit 10 homers but posted worse than average walk (7.6%) and strikeout (25.8%) rates.

While Meyers hasn’t been much of a factor with the bat, he has played very well on the other side of the ball. Public metrics grade him as a plus defender in center field. In just under 1500 career innings at the outfield’s most demanding position, he has rated 12 to 18 runs better than average by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast.

The Astros are evidently sufficiently pleased with Meyers’ glove to pass on whatever trade overtures they’ve received. That moves McCormick to left field on most days, although Brown suggested McCormick would still see some work up the middle as needed. While the 28-year-old has yet to tally 500 plate appearances in any MLB season, he has been consistently excellent when plugged into the lineup. McCormick posted a .273/.353/.489 slash with 22 homers over 457 plate appearances a season ago.

Kyle Tucker is entrenched in right field. It seems the Astros are content with a McCormick, Meyers, Tucker outfield alignment on most days, with Yordan Alvarez rotating between left field and designated hitter. Mauricio Dubón is on hand as a utility option who can cover center field off the bench. That aligns with prior comments from Brown, who has consistently suggested he doesn’t view the outfield as a significant offseason priority.

Astros Have Discussed Jake Meyers Trades With Multiple Clubs

By | at

The Astros have discussed various trade scenarios involving center fielder Jake Meyers with other clubs over the past couple weeks, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The 27-year-old is not yet arbitration-eligible and has four years of club control remaining. He’d be arb-eligible next offseason.

Meyers is nominally atop the Astros depth chart in center field, though he took on a more limited role late in the year as the Astros gave Yordan Alvarez  and a healthy Michael Brantley more time in left field and pushed Chas McCormick into center field duty with greater regularity. All-Star Kyle Tucker, of course, has right field locked down in Houston.

Brantley’s potential departure in free agency thins out Houston’s outfield mix a bit, although the versatile Mauricio Dubon surely played his way into more reps in the outfield with a solid showing at the plate in 2023 — .278/.309/.411 — much of it at second base in lieu of Jose Altuve when the All-Star endured multiple IL stints. With Altuve back from the injured list, Dubon spent the bulk of his time in center field late in the season, splitting time there with McCormick.

Meyers impressed as a 25-year-old rookie in 2021, hitting .260/.323/.438 in 163 trips to the plate and showing off strong defensive skills, but his penchant for strikeouts was always a red flag. A shoulder injury suffered during the 2021 postseason ultimately required surgery to repair his labrum, and Meyers’ 2022 season at the plate was nightmarish, to say the least. In his first year back from that procedure, he tallied just 160 MLB plate appearances and batted .227/.269/.313. His 2023 campaign was better, but still not close to his 2021 levels. In 341 trips to the plate, Meyers hit .227/.296/.382.

To Meyers’ credit, he remains a stellar defender in the outfield, and his track record in the upper minors is excellent. In 1499 career innings patrolling center field, he’s been credited with 12 Defensive Runs Saved and 20 Outs Above Average. Statcast pegs his range in the 95th percentile of MLB outfielders and his sprint speed in the 92nd percentile of all MLB players. In 474 Triple-A plate appearances, he carries a stout .330/.407/.556 batting line. Even in the big leagues, where his overall offensive output is subpar, he’s hit lefties at a quality .270/.316/.444 clip.

At the very least, Meyers could have appeal to other teams as a platoon option in center field, with standout glovework and an above-average bat against left-handed pitching. And, at 27 years of age, he may still be young enough that other clubs feel he could tap into the offensive potential he’s displayed in Triple-A and emerge as a viable everyday option in center.

Even if Meyers is viewed as “only” a glove-first, fleet-footed fourth outfielder who’s best deployed in platoon situations, that should still hold value to other clubs — particularly with four years of club control remaining and a pre-arbitration salary that’ll clock in just slightly north of the league minimum next season. The Giants are seeking more range in their outfield, for instance. The Twins could welcome an affordable alternative to free agent Michael A. Taylor. The D-backs have an all left-handed outfield. The Rays are discussing Manuel Margot with other clubs — the Yankees and Mets among them — and Meyers offers a similar skill set at a fraction of the price.

While a massive return shouldn’t be expected in the event that the Astros do ultimately strike up a deal, Meyers’ speed, defense at a premium position, production against lefties and pre-arbitration status are all appealing to various degrees.

The Astros’ Potential Outfield Surplus

By | at

Entering the season, the outfield was an area of some uncertainty on an excellent Houston roster. Kyle Tucker is an established star in right field. The other two positions were more questionable. Before Opening Day, Houston brass has suggested they planned to divide left field and designated hitter reps between Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley. As it has been for a couple seasons, center field looked to involve a battle for playing time between Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers.

Brantley’s recovery from last summer’s shoulder surgery hasn’t been as smooth as hoped. The five-time All-Star began the season on the injured list, leaving rookie Corey Julks to assume the LF/DH hybrid role alongside Alvarez. Julks has had some good stretches of play but been equally prone to extended slumps. He owns a .245/.299/.353 line in his first 86 big league contests and is currently in Triple-A.

Various setbacks have continued to keep Brantley out of action all season. When Alvarez suffered an oblique strain in mid-June — an injury that’d cost him six weeks — it looked as if the outfield and/or DH could be a problem. Not only has that not been the case, Houston’s outfield has thrived.

Since Alvarez first went on the IL on June 9, Houston outfielders are hitting .281/.370/.504 in 745 trips to the plate. They trail only the Braves’ group in on-base percentage and slugging. They’re third in on-base and sixth in slugging if one also includes DH production (where Alvarez would obviously have seen some time had he been healthy for that entire stretch).

In large part, that’s thanks to Tucker. He’ll find his name on MVP ballots for a third consecutive season. The star right fielder has raked at a .323/.410/.610 clip over that stretch and is hitting .297/.377/.526 overall. Alvarez has picked up where he’d left off since returning on July 26, putting up a .282/.378/.521 mark in 19 games.

It isn’t just the established superstars though. McCormick was a quietly productive player over his first two big league seasons and has found a new gear in 2023. Over 313 plate appearances, he owns a .288/.378/.539 batting line. Of the 215 hitters with 300+ trips to the plate, McCormick ranks 18th in OBP and 12th in slugging. He has been on a particular tear of late, with a .317/.410/.593 slash since June 9.

McCormick’s strikeout and walk rates aren’t much different from his prior two seasons. His average exit velocity and hard contact percentage haven’t changed and he’s unlikely to maintain a .363 average on balls in play. Yet his uptick in production isn’t entirely about batted ball fortune. McCormick is hitting for more power than he did in his first two seasons, at least in part reflecting a conscious change in his offensive approach.

Eno Sarris of the Athletic recently chatted with the right-handed hitter about a mechanical tweak he’d made to become more upright in his stance. The goal was to open his front shoulder slightly in order to allow him to become more pull-oriented. McCormick has always had raw power, but an extreme opposite-field approach muted some of that production. Pulled fly balls clear the fence at a much higher rate than flies to center or the opposite field. Few hitters pulled the ball in the air less often than McCormick between 2021-22. That didn’t stop him from being a good player, but it left some power potential on the table (particularly with the Crawford boxes only 315 feet down the left field line in Houston).

The change certainly seems to be paying off. His rate of pulled fly balls this season is nearly twice that of the previous two years. While he’s not hitting the ball harder overall, his average exit velocity on fly balls specifically is a personal high. The production has followed. Even if his BABIP takes a step back, McCormick should be a better offensive player than he’d been over his first two seasons and certainly looks deserving of everyday playing time.

Lately, that has mostly come in left field. Brantley could soon cut into those corner outfield reps. The veteran began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday. Barring another setback, he could rejoin the big league club within the next two weeks. Skipper Dusty Baker will likely carefully monitor Brantley’s workload to ease the stress on his shoulder, but a healthy Brantley can be a key table-setter and adds a left-handed bat to a righty-heavy Houston lineup.

McCormick can play center field, so Meyers’ playing time might be most adversely impacted by Brantley’s expected return. Meyers isn’t having a great offensive season, hitting .227/.303/.385 over 304 trips to the plate. He started the year well, but unlike Tucker and McCormick, he has struggled at the dish going back to the beginning of June. Meyers is an excellent defensive center fielder, though. In 710 1/3 innings this season, he has rated between six and eight runs better than average by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast. (In his career, he’s been between 13 and 18 runs above average over 1406 frames.) Plugging Brantley in left, pushing McCormick to center, and moving Meyers to the bench should improve the lineup but will downgrade the defense.

It’s an enviable “problem” to have. Potentially juggling four starting-caliber outfielders helps Houston’s chances of tracking down their in-state rivals in a closely contested AL West. There’s likely to be some degree of concern about Brantley’s shoulder holding up down the stretch. Perhaps he or Alvarez could rotate through first base on occasion, at least while José Abreu is out. However Baker manages it, the outfield looks like a strength for the Astros as they enter the home stretch. And, with each of Alvarez (signed through 2028), Tucker (controlled through 2025), McCormick (controlled through 2026) and Meyers (controlled through 2027) standing as long-term pieces, their outfield outlook looks increasingly bright.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Astros Open To Trading Outfielder

By | at

The upcoming trade deadline seems slated to be different than those of the past. Due to the expanded playoffs and weak Central divisions, there’s a small number of teams that are truly out of contention and in traditional seller position. That could lead to more trades with contenders on both ends and the Astros are exploring that possibility, looking to move an outfielder to help out elsewhere, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

“We’re exploring trading major-league player for major-league player with teams that are contending that make sense,” general manager Dana Brown tells Rosenthal. “We have a lot of outfielders right now. If we could move an outfield piece for something that could fill another need, we probably would be interested in doing that. Player for player? Yeah. We have to get creative to open up the market. We’re definitely exploring that.”

The 2023 Astros aren’t quite as dominant as in previous seasons but they are still firmly in the postseason chase. Their 44-37 record has them just half a game behind the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot and Brown is adamant that they won’t be stripping the roster down to the studs. “I can’t see any scenario where we sell,” he says.

However, it does seem as though the club is willing to consider subtracting one of its outfielders in order to address other needs. Brown has been fairly open in recent weeks about how the club would ideally like to add a versatile left-handed bat or perhaps some pitching help. Traditionally, they might have been able to achieve those goals by dealing prospects. But since their theoretical trading partners could be contenders this year, the Astros may have to move a big leaguer.

With Michael Brantley and Yordan Alvarez on the injured list, the club has been using an outfield mix of Kyle Tucker, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers and Corey Julks. With Brantley and Alvarez working their way back to health, it’s possible that someone in that group gets squeezed off the roster and onto the trade block.

Tucker is one of the best players in the league and wouldn’t be going anywhere, especially because he’s the only left-handed hitter in the regular lineup. Since Brown has been quite open about how the club would love to get more left-handed, it would make more sense to consider moving one of the other three, who are each right-handed.

McCormick, 28, debuted with the club in 2021 and has appeared in 270 major league games so far. He’s struck out 28.5% of his plate appearances but also walked at a 9.6% rate and hit 35 home runs. His .249/.327/.428 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 112, indicating he’s been 12% above league average. He’s also stolen 15 bases and received positive grades for his glovework. He’s accrued 14 Defensive Runs Saved in his career, 21 Outs Above Average and a 7.2 mark from Ultimate Zone Rating. He’s played all three outfield spots but most of his work has been in center.

Competent center fielders are always in demand and McCormick’s above-average offense would only enhance his appeal. He’s also cheap, coming into this season with exactly two years of service time. He will get to the three-year mark at season’s end and have three years of arbitration control beyond this campaign. Rosenthal reports that the Yankees had previous interest in him but never got close to a deal.

Meyers, 27, also debuted in 2021 but hasn’t been able to hit at McCormick’s level. Meyers has a 29.8% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate, with his .237/.305/.380 batting line amounting to a wRC+ of just 92. But like McCormick, his outfield defense is graded well, primarily in center field. Overall, he’s racked up 12 DRS, 18 OAA and a 6.4 UZR. He’ll finish this year with less than three years of service time, giving him an extra year before he reaches arbitration and three more seasons of control beyond that.

Julks, 27, just debuted this year, cracking the Opening Day roster. He’s hit .265/.307/.398 through his first 225 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 95. He’s only played the corners but has been considered slightly above average there. He’s also stolen 12 bases already this year. Since he just debuted, he isn’t slated for arbitration until after 2025 or free agency until after 2028.

These players will each have varying degrees of interest depending on which club the Astros are talking to. Lining up a trade of this nature may be challenging because it will require the other team to have an outfield need but also an ability to part with something else that Houston wants. That might be a tricky tightrope to walk but it seems as though just about every contending club might have to give it a try this year.

Latest On The Astros’ Outfielders

By | at

Roster battles are few and far between for the defending champion Astros this spring, but manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome) that there’ll be a bit of competition in center field between Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick over the next six weeks.

“There’s competition … We hope [Jake] Meyers bounces back from the injury. We’ll see how Chas [McCormick] looks. There’s room for everybody to play. As you know, I’ll play everybody,” Baker said.

McCormick would surely have the inside running to get the bulk of the center field reps this year. The 27-year-old slashed .245/.332/.407 with 14 home runs in his second big league season, while putting up 5 Outs Above Average in about 450 center field innings.

Meyers, on the other hand, hit just .227/.269/.313 with a single home run over 160 plate appearances last season. To be fair to Meyers, he did only return from a torn labrum in June and hit a much better .260/.323/.438 during his rookie season in 2021. Like McCormick, Meyers has put up strong numbers in center field, earning 7 Outs Above Average in around 400 innings at the position last year.

With Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez lined up to handle the work in the corner spots, center field is the only outfield spot with any sort of question mark around it. McCormick would have to be the favorite, but if a full, healthy off-season allows Meyers to regain some of his offensive numbers this spring it could give the Astros some positive selection headaches heading into the new season.

One other player that figures to feature in the outfield mix is veteran Michael Brantley. The Astros inked the 35-year-old to a one-year, $12MM deal this winter, bringing him back for his fifth season in Houston. Brantley’s always hit when he’s been on the field, as evidenced by his .306/.368/.464 line in four seasons with the Astros, but staying on the field has been a problem for the veteran. He went down in June and required season-ending shoulder surgery, limiting his contribution to just 64 games last year. Astros GM Dana Brown provided an update on Brantley’s recovery, and there seems no guarantee that he’s ready to go for opening day.

“It’s still day-to-day. He’s hitting, fielding ground balls, moving well, not feeling much pain. He’s on course. I think it’s going to go down to the wire, but I think it’s going to be close,” Brown said (Twitter).

While that doesn’t rule him out of being available for the Astros first series of the season, it is a slight step back from January when the expectation was Brantley would be ready for opening day. Brantley spent about half of his 64 games in the outfield last year, and when fit he figures to give Houston a left field/DH option in addition to Alvarez and Tucker.

Astros Add Seth Martinez To ALCS Roster, Drop Jake Meyers

By | at

The Astros swept the Mariners in the ALDS and are about to face off against the Yankees in the ALCS. The roster is largely unchanged, though right-hander Seth Martinez has been swapped in for outfielder Jake Meyers. Here is the full squad…

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The omission of Meyers leaves the Astros with just three players listed as outfielders: Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick and Kyle Tucker. However, infielders Trey Mancini, Aledmys Diaz and Mauricio Dubón are all capable of spending some time on the grass. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle points out that Dubón was used as a defensive replacement in all three games of the ALDS, while Meyers started Game 2 and struck out twice before being replaced and didn’t get into the 18-inning marathon that was Game 3. It seems that Dubón passed Meyers as the backup center fielder, which has allowed the Astros to carry an extra arm in this series.

The Astros have no lefty relievers and could have brought Will Smith onto the roster but have instead opted for Martinez. That’s likely a reflection of the Yankee lineup, where Anthony Rizzo is the only left-hander likely to be in there every day. Matt Carpenter could also get some at-bats, though likely in a pinch-hitting capacity. Then there’s the switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera, but the Yanks subtracted two other switch-hitters from their roster by removing Marwin Gonzalez and the injured Aaron Hicks. Given that the lineup is slanted towards righties, Martinez has gotten the nod over Smith. Martinez faced 99 righties this year and held them to a .135/.214/.180 batting line.

Astros Place Justin Verlander On IL With Calf Injury

By | at

The Astros announced a series of roster moves today, the most notable of those being Justin Verlander’s placement on the 15-day injured list. Verlander, whose IL placement is retroactive to August 29, left his last start due to calf discomfort. Additionally, outfielder Jake Meyers was optioned to Triple-A. To take the two open rosters spots, righty Brandon Bielak and first baseman/outfielder J.J. Matijevic were recalled.

Verlander, 39, pitched only six innings in 2020 and missed the entire 2021 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. He held a showcase in the offseason and showed enough promise that the Astros were willing to give him a $25MM salary this year, despite that length layoff. Up until this calf issue popped up, Verlander was pitching beyond just about everyone’s expectations for a 39-year-old returning from such a lengthy absence. Through 152 innings over 24 starts, he’s currently sporting a 1.84 ERA with a 26.5% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and 38.6% ground ball rate.

His fantastic comeback season will have to take a pause, at least for a little while. It doesn’t seem as though anyone is expecting a lengthy absence, based on the word coming from members of the organization today. A team announcement said that Verlander’s MRI showed “fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption,” as relayed by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.

Astros general manager James Click spoke to the media to provide more context, generally downplaying the significance of the issue. (Twitter links from Rome.) “This was relatively good news, is my understanding,” Click said. “Our hope and expectation is that this should be relatively short-term.” Verlander himself then spoke on the matter, with Rome relaying some more quotes on Twitter. “The doctors said there was an injury, but when it comes to calf injuries, I feel like I really kind of dodged a bullet here where the muscle isn’t involved,” Verlander said. He then added that he’s disappointed to have to go to the IL, but provided the caveat that “on the spectrum of calf injuries go, this is as good of news as I could have gotten.” He also added that, had his muscle fibers been injured, he would have been shut down for weeks, missing the rest of the season and possibly some of the playoffs.

All in all, it seems everyone involved feels Verlander can make a quick return, which would be great for both him and the team. In the short-term, there’s no reason for the Astros to panic, as their 82-47 record is the best in the American League, 11 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners in the West division. They are also effectively guaranteed to earn one of the two byes through the first round of the playoffs, as they are four games ahead of the East-leading Yankees and 13 1/2 games ahead of the Central-leading Guardians. Even without Verlander, the rotation should be in good shape, with Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier still in place. In the long-term, the ’Stros will surely be hoping that the issue passes quick enough for Verlander to return for postseason action. There are just over five weeks remaining on the regular season schedule.

Verlander’s return could also have an impact on his offseason, as he could be returning to free agency. By surpassing 130 innings pitched this year, he vested a $25MM player option for 2023. Since he just got $25MM after two lost seasons, it stands to reason that he could surpass that number on the heels of his excellent campaign here in 2022. Based on that logic, it seems likely that he would turn down that option and return to the open market, especially if he can come back healthy and show no ill effects of this calf issue. On the other hand, if the next few weeks don’t go quite as smoothly as hoped and the injury persists, it could have a negative effect on his market this winter.

As for Meyers, 26, he had a nice debut for Houston last year, hitting .260/.323/.438 in 49 games. However, he hasn’t been able to carry that forward into 2022, as he’s slashed .209/.255/.302 for the year so far. Houston was rumored to be looking for center field upgrades at the deadline but didn’t end up pulling the trigger on a deal. Based on those slouching numbers, Meyers will be sent down to the minors to try to get back on track. Mauricio Dubon and Chas McCormick seem to be ticketed for the work in the middle of the grass without Meyers, with Rome relaying word from Click.

Astros Searching For Center Field Help

By | at

The Astros had a very active day on Monday, bringing in a pair of veteran position players in Trey Mancini and Christian Vázquez and reportedly agreeing to swap Jake Odorizzi with the Braves’ Will Smith. Houston isn’t finished trying to bolster the roster before the deadline, however, as Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports (Twitter link) they’re on the hunt for center field help.

Houston general manager James Click has already checked off what very well may have been the club’s three biggest needs this summer — first base, catcher and left-handed relief. Center field is arguably the final area the front office should target, as the club has gotten just a .200/.262/.342 showing out of the position. Jake Meyers has struggled since returning from the injured list, and José Siri underwhelmed before he was dealt to the Rays as part of the three-team deal that brought back Mancini. Chas McCormick has played well for a second straight season, but he’s seen a bit more time in the corner outfield than in center this year.

The Astros have reportedly inquired about Pirates star Bryan Reynolds in the past, and Rosenthal recently floated the idea of Houston dangling some of their controllable starters to the Orioles in an attempt to pry away Cedric Mullins. Both players seem unlikely to move over the next 16 hours, but the Astros potential interest in both demonstrates the club has explored the possibility of an impact center field pickup for a while.

Assuming both Reynolds and Mullins stay put, the trade market at the position isn’t especially robust. Oakland’s Ramón Laureano would be the top player who’s likely to be available, but it’s hard to envision the Astros making a run at him. Not only could the intra-division rivalry complicate a trade, the Astros dealt away Laureano as a prospect for a minimal return, and there’s been no love lost between the A’s and Astros over the past few years.

Kansas City’s Michael A. Taylor and the Cubs Rafael Ortega are the only other center fielders who placed among MLBTR’s top deadline trade candidates. Other players who could conceivably be available include the Nationals Víctor Robles and, if the Giants decide to retool at the deadline, Mike Yastrzemski.

Astros Activate Jake Meyers From 60-Day IL, Designate Dillon Thomas

By and | at

The Astros announced they’ve designated outfielder Dillon Thomas for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Jake Meyers, who is back from the 60-day injured list. Houston optioned Jose Siri to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear active roster space for Meyers.

Thomas, 29, went 0-for-2 with a walk and was a hit-by-pitch in four plate appearances during a very brief stint with the ’Stros. He’s logged just 13 total plate appearances in the Majors, also stepping to the plate nine times as a member of the Mariners a year ago. The 2011 fourth-rounder (Rockies) has split the rest of the 2022 season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Angels and Astros, posting a combined .293/.395/.492 batting line — numbers that generally align with his career .277/.382/.462 output in parts of three seasons at that level. Houston will have a week to trade Thomas, pass him through outright waivers or release him.

Meyers’ return should be a boon for the Astros’ lineup. The 26-year-old made his big league debut in 2021 and impressed with a .260/.323/.438 batting line, six home runs and eight doubles in 163 plate appearances. He also turned in well above-average work in the outfield according to each of Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average.

Were it not for a shoulder injury sustained during last year’s ALDS — one that eventually required surgery after a torn labrum was discovered — Meyers could very well have been the Opening Day center fielder. Time will tell whether he’s able to approximate last year’s solid debut effort, but if he can indeed do so, there’s an opening for the former 13th-rounder to solidify himself as a long-term solution for the Astros alongside Kyle Tucker in the outfield.

For the 26-year-old Siri, the 2022 season has been a struggle. After kicking down the door to the Majors with a .318/.369/.552 batting line in Triple-A last year and subsequently hitting .304/.347/.609 in 49 big league plate appearances, Siri went from minor league signee to a viable big league outfield option. Unfortunately, he hasn’t come anywhere close to that production this season, hitting just .185/.248/.315 in 141 turns at the plate. Siri is in his final minor league option year, creating some further urgency for him to turn things around at the plate.

Astros Claim Dillon Thomas From Angels

By | at

The Astros have claimed corner outfielder Dillon Thomas off waivers from the Angels, according to announcements from both teams. Fellow outfielder Jake Meyers has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Los Angeles also announced that reliever Ty Buttrey has passed through waivers unclaimed and been sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Thomas remains in the AL West, where he’ll look to reach the majors with a third separate team. The 29-year-old has gotten cups of coffee with the Mariners and Angels over the past couple seasons, but he’s appeared in just five total games. His stint in Anaheim was particularly brief. Thomas was selected to the majors last Wednesday while the club dealt with a brief absence for Mike Trout. He was on the active roster for three days, suiting up once, before being designated for assignment.

Signed by the Halos to a minor league contract over the winter, Thomas earned a 40-man spot with quality work in the upper levels of the system. The left-handed hitter posted a .295/.398/.489 mark with eight home runs across 211 plate appearances in Salt Lake. Thomas walked at a strong 10.9% clip against a roughly average 23.7% strikeout rate, apparently catching the attention of the Astros front office in the process.

While Thomas will start his organizational tenure in Sugar Land, the opportunity to earn a big league call with the Astros figures to be particularly sweet. Thomas is a Houston native who’d been committed to Texas A&M before signing with the Rockies out of Westbury Christian School a decade ago. He still has a pair of minor league option years, so he can bounce between Houston and Sugar Land for the next couple seasons if he holds a 40-man roster spot.

Meyers’ transfer makes room for Thomas, but it’s strictly a procedural move. The 25-year-old has been on the injured list all season while recovering from shoulder surgery. He’s already spent more than 60 days on the IL, so he’s still eligible to return whenever he’s ready from a health perspective. That figures to be in the coming days, as he’s spent the past couple weeks on a rehab assignment with the Space Cowboys.

Buttrey, meanwhile, sticks in the Angels organization but will no longer hold a spot on the 40-man roster. Initially designated for assignment when Thomas was called up, the righty will try to work his way back to the majors as a member of the Bees. Buttrey sat out the 2021 season after stepping away from the game, and he’s shown some signs of rust upon returning. Through 12 1/3 innings, he’s allowed nine runs while striking out just five.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top