The Houston Astros are giving themselves a little separation in the standings, and with a month left in the 2026 regular season, the bigger picture is getting harder to ignore. At 70-68, the present still matters. But the future is starting to announce itself too.
That future, at least on the position-player side, is looking more and more tied to Cam Smith.
Smith is in his second season with Houston, and the raw production has been a mixed bag across the board. He has appeared in 134 games in each of his first two years.
As a rookie, he finished with nine home runs and a .236 batting average in 441 at-bats. This season, the power has ticked up to 17 home runs in that same 134-game sample, even though the batting average has slipped to .214.
The average isn’t where anyone wants it, but the jump in power is a real step forward. Smith has already gone over 100 RBIs in his career in just two seasons, and that kind of output is a strong sign of what he can become if the rest of the game keeps coming along.
He showed that upside again in the series opener against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park. Facing the AL Central leaders, Smith came through with two big extra-base hits - a double and a triple - in four at-bats and drove in two of Houston’s six runs.
Afterward, Smith talked about staying with his approach even when the results haven’t been perfect.
"I obviously haven't been swinging it how I want to, but I stay aggressive. Don't lose it," Smith said via Space City Home Network on X (formerly Twitter).
That aggression has been a defining part of his game lately. Last month, Smith hit .250 with 19 hits, four home runs, three triples and two doubles, while striking out 21 times.
The punchouts are still something he’ll need to clean up with the hitting coaches, but the overall approach is clearly working for him enough to keep him in the lineup every day. For the Astros, that matters now and even more when they’re thinking about what comes next.
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Astros Have A September Roster Decision Fans Should Watch Closely
September always brings a little roster maneuvering, and for the Astros, the move to a 28-man club on Sept. 1 opens the door to add some help for the final month. The front office has a few interesting names to consider from Triple-A, where Miguel Ullola, Cavan Biggio and Trenton Brooks have all put together strong stretches that could make them useful in different ways.
Ullola gives Houston another pitching option, while Biggio and Brooks bring the kind of versatility that can matter when depth gets thin and matchups start dictating decisions. With the stretch run ahead and every game carrying extra weight, the Astros will have to decide which minor league performers are most ready to translate that recent production into a useful September role. [Read more 🡒]
Astros September Push Could Come Down To One Carlos Correa Update
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Correa is the name that hangs over the month most prominently, because his status still carries some uncertainty as he moves toward a scheduled medical checkup tied to his ankle surgery. For an Astros team trying to protect a division lead while navigating a demanding schedule, any update on his availability could shape how the final month unfolds. The bigger picture is straightforward enough: Houston has put itself in position, but September will say a lot about whether that position holds. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Got An Unlikely Offensive Boost They May Really Need
Houston kept its grip on the AL West by getting unexpected offense in a 6-3 win over the White Sox, with Nelson Velzquez and Cam Smith delivering the kind of timely hits that can change the tone of a game. Peter Lambert gave the Astros a workable start, lasting 4 2/3 innings while allowing three runs and striking out six, and the lineup did enough damage to make sure Chicago never fully got back into it.
Velzquez provided the biggest swing of the night with a go-ahead two-run homer in the fourth, a jolt that helped turn a close game in Houstons favor. Smith then added a two-run double in the next inning to widen the gap, a useful reminder for the Astros that production can come from places they may not have been counting on as the season pushes deeper into its stretch run. [Read more 🡒]