The Astros announced four moves today, including surprising news about that outfielder Jake Meyers optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. The one who plays outside Joey Loperfido it was also selected from Sugar Land, while Houston called Zach Dezenzo from Triple-A and activated LaMonte Wade Jr. on the 10-day injured list.
This is the first time since 2022 that Meyers has been in the minors for anything more than a renewal assignment. Meyers has less than five years of MLB service time and therefore cannot turn down a minor league assignment, and the outfielder may be open to working in Sugar Land as a way to get a rough season out of the way.
Meyers has been known more for his glove than his bat in his six seasons with the Astros, and while his .292/.354/.373 line over 381 plate appearances in 2025 was a nice step forward, Meyers’ .353 BABIP casts some doubt on the reality of that streak. The flip side of a .240 BABIP this year could explain some of Meyers’ issues, but his .206/.264/.316 slash in 148 at-bats translates to just a 62 wRC+, which would be pretty bad work for a 25-year-old.
If the offensive struggles weren’t enough, Meyers’ career has also fallen short of his prime, as he has +1 Defensive Runs Saved and +2 Outs Above Average over 333 innings in center field. Meyers missed nearly six weeks in April and May with a Grade 2 oblique strain, and although the sample sizes are very small, he had a .704 OPS over 43 PA before the injury and a .531 OPS in 105 PA once back in IL.
In the big picture, it’s worth wondering if Meyers will still be with the Astros beyond the trade deadline, or if he’s a non-tender this coming season. He has one year of arbitration control remaining, and will be due for some sort of raise above his $3.55MM salary for 2026. The Astros already acquired Meyers this past winter in trade talks, but with his recent struggles likely driving up his trade value, Houston won’t get much return in trying to move Meyers before August 3rd.
I have Meyers now in Triple-A, Taylor Trammell again Brice Matthews will form a central field group. Trammell doesn’t have a track record of offensive success in the majors, but he essentially has his own version of Meyers’ 2025 season, with a .371 BABIP contributing to Trammell’s 108 wRC+ over 112 PA. Matthews has been a no-hitter in his two big league seasons but has been solid defensively in center field, left field, second base, and some time at third base.
Between the Trammell/Matthews team and Cam Smith as an everyday right fielder, left field remains a revolving door for the Astros. Jordan Alvarez he only got a small amount of time in left as the Astros chose to use the slugger as a DH to keep him healthy, so Wade and Dezenzo may now serve as an unofficial left field team. Wade was released from his minor league contract with the White Sox in early June and signed with Houston, playing his first four MLB games of the season with the Astros before a hamstring injury quickly sent him to IL for a short month.
