The Astros are shopping for a right-handed hitting outfielder, and the names already on their radar are familiar ones. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports Houston has had talks about adding that kind of bat, with interest in Rob Refsnyder and Austin Hays, both of whom were released this week.
Both players arrived on one-year deals this season, and both were brought in with clear offensive lanes. Refsnyder signed with the Mariners as a platoon piece, while the White Sox handed Hays the chance to claim the everyday right field job. Neither move stuck.
Refsnyder, now 35, struggled badly. He hit .140/.211/.254 with four home runs in 129 plate appearances, and most of those trips came with the platoon edge he was supposed to punish.
He also missed most of July because of right knee inflammation. That slump stands out even with the challenges of hitting at T-Mobile Park, especially after he torched lefties at a .312/.407/.516 clip with the Red Sox from 2022-25.
Hays’ season went sideways mostly because of injuries. He played in just 12 games after a right hamstring strain cost him time in April and a significant left calf strain followed in early May.
The White Sox have since shifted right field to rookie Braden Montgomery and leaned on Randal Grichuk for strong short-side platoon production, leaving no real opening for Hays. He hit .233 with one homer in 44 plate appearances and never really got rolling.
Hays does bring a broader track record than Refsnyder. He’s a career .282/.340/.477 hitter against lefties and owns a near league-average .253/.300/.414 line without the platoon advantage. He has shown he can handle an everyday role, but this is now the third straight season in which he has missed time.
Houston’s need in the outfield has been obvious. The club finally added a left-handed hitting outfielder at the deadline by trading for Daulton Varsho, but the ideal outcome would have been two new starting outfielders alongside Cam Smith. With only Varsho added, the Astros are still piecing together a platoon with Taylor Trammell and a right-handed partner.
That role changed again today, when Houston replaced Jake Meyers with Zach Dezenzo in the lineup, starting Meyers in center field and Varsho in left against San Diego lefty Robbie Ray. Meyers came into the game hitting .206/.264/.316 in 52 big league games this season, and he had gone .211/.283/.311 in 24 Triple-A games since being optioned on July 4. He’s a strong defender, but the bat leaves room for an upgrade in that spot.
A major league deal looks like the likeliest path for Houston, and a recently released player would be a cheap way to get there. Any signing would come at the prorated $780K league minimum, with the former team covering the rest of the salary.
There are a few other names in the mix as well. Stuart Fairchild chose free agency after the Mariners waived him this afternoon, and the Angels released Jorge Soler too. Soler would be a tougher fit, though, since he has played only 67 innings on defense this year and would force Houston to live with him or Yordan Alvarez in left field just to keep his bat in the lineup.
In Other News...
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White Sox Turn To Top Pitching Prospects As Rotation Questions Grow
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Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith are on the way up, adding more intrigue to a staff that has been searching for stability. The corresponding moves clear the necessary space and send two other young pitchers back to Charlotte, a reminder of how fluid this stretch has become as the White Sox try to sort out who can stick and who still needs more time. [Read more 🡒]