The Astros have spent most of the season searching for something steady in left field, and the answers have been pieced together one name at a time. Lamonte Wade Jr. logged 26 games there this year, Taylor Trammell took over during a hot stretch earlier in the summer, and Trammell ended up as the most dependable option in the spot with 56 games in left.
That stability disappeared fast. Trammell’s bat had gone ice cold, with a .141 average and a .448 OPS over his last 30 games, and Houston added another outfielder when it claimed switch-hitter Jorge Barrosa off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept.
- The Astros have clearly been looking for more production, but they had not turned to Triple-A Sugar Land for help until now.
Tuesday’s roster move forced the issue. Trammell was placed on the paternity list, and the corresponding move brought left-handed outfielder Joey Loperfido back up from Triple-A. With the offense slipping and left field still unsettled, Houston is giving him another shot to provide some lift.
Loperfido hasn’t done much at the major league level this season, hitting .216 with a .647 OPS in 39 games before making a pinch-hit appearance on Wednesday night. He split most of his big league time between early-season action and a return in late June. But his work at Sugar Land tells a different story.
The 27-year-old kept getting better in Triple-A as the season went on. He came off a strong August with a .303 average and an .816 OPS in 20 games, even without a home run.
In that stretch, he drove in 11 runs, collected 23 hits, posted a .426 on-base percentage and drew 13 walks. He kept it going in September too, batting .311 with 14 hits in 11 games for the Space Cowboys.
His last Triple-A game on Sept. 13 ended with a 3-for-5 line, and he also swiped three bases in August.
There’s still swing-and-miss in his game, but Houston doesn’t have many better options sitting around. Loperfido brings speed, a strong arm and the ability to drive the ball.
The Astros brought him back before the season and sent Jesús Sánchez to Toronto, and now he has a chance to turn this call-up into something more than a temporary fix. If he produces, he could make the front office think a little harder about what comes next.
In Other News...
Astros Outfield Depth Just Took A Hit At The Worst Time
Jake Meyers was supposed to be part of the Astros answer in center field down the stretch, but now his season is over after he fouled a ball off his left kneecap in the minors. He was placed on the minor league injured list Sept. 12, and the timing could hardly be worse for a club trying to keep its outfield options intact as the schedule tightens and October draws closer.
For Houston, the loss goes beyond one roster move. Meyers absence leaves the Astros thinner in center field for the rest of the regular season and into the postseason picture, while also adding another layer of uncertainty to his offseason contract situation. Even if the injury itself is straightforward, the ripple effect is not, because the Astros now have one less experienced option at a spot that tends to matter a lot when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Daulton Varshos Post-Blue Jays Drop Could Cost Him Big
Daulton Varshos move on from Toronto was supposed to give him a fresh runway, but the early returns since landing with Houston have not matched the payoff the Astros hoped for. Varsho has struggled on both sides of the ball, and the drop-off has been broad enough to show up in his offensive production as well as his defensive metrics, a troubling combination for a player whose value has long rested on doing damage in multiple ways.
With free agency looming after the season, the timing could hardly be worse. Instead of positioning himself for a major payday, Varsho appears headed toward a winter in which the market may treat him as more of a rebound bet than a premium target, with a lower-value contract now looking like the most realistic outcome. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Espada Is Keeping The Astros Afloat Through A Bigger Problem
Joe Espada has spent much of this season doing the kind of managerial work that rarely shows up cleanly in the standings but matters plenty inside a clubhouse. With the Astros dealing with injuries and the aftershocks of roster construction issues, the manager has been tasked with keeping the group competitive while the front office sorts through a bigger organizational reset after parting ways with Dana Brown.
Jim Cranes comments underscored how much the Astros are leaning on Espada to hold things together for now, even as the roster clearly needs a retool. That leaves Houston in an awkward spot: still capable of hanging around, but also staring at a larger problem that goes beyond one manager or one rough stretch and asks what the next version of this team is supposed to look like. [Read more 🡒]