Several players likely to return soon for Astros

The Astros are likely to return a couple of regulars to the big league roster in the coming days, according to GM Dana Brown, who told club radio broadcaster Robert Ford, as relayed by Chandler Rome of The Athletic and Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, that both first baseman Jose Abreu and outfielder Chas McCormick are nearing returns to action.

Per Kawahara, Brown indicated to Ford that McCormick, who has been out of action since late April due to a hamstring strain, could return to the Astros lineup as soon as Monday. The 29-year-old scuffled a bit to open the season prior to his injury, slashing a lackluster .236/.325/.278 in 21 games prior to the injury. 

Even so, the return of McCormick could provide a noticeable boost to the club’s offense assuming he’s healthy. After all, he was one of the club’s top offensive contributors last year when he posted a strong .273/.353/.489 slash line in 115 games. 

That showing appeared to earn him the opportunity to take a larger role with the club going forward, although given the strong performance of Jake Meyers as the club’s regular center fielder in McCormick’s absence, it’s certainly possible that those circumstances have changed.

As for Abreu, Rome indicates that the veteran could join the club in Oakland on Friday for their series opener against the A’s. Abreu agreed to be optioned to the minor leagues at the end of last month after scuffling to a brutal .099/.156/.113 slash line in 77 trips to the plate this season. 

The 37-year-old got into his first game action in a pair of Florida Complex League games the past two days, going 2-for-10 with a double and a walk in those appearances. Brown added that Abreu is expected to get into “a few” more games before he returns to the Astros, although it’s not yet clear if those will be additional FCL games or if he’ll instead advance to the Triple-A level as he prepares to face big league pitching for the first time in nearly a month.

Abreu is in the second season of a three-year, $58.5M deal he signed with the Astros prior to the 2023 season. So far, that deal has not gone how either side was surely hoping. 

In addition to Abreu’s brutal start to the 2024 campaign, the veteran is coming off a down season in 2023 where he slashed just .237/.296/.383 in 141 games with Houston. That performance resulted in a wRC+ of just 86, making 2023 the first below average offensive season of the first baseman’s career. 

While Abreu has been away from the club, Jon Singleton has primarily handled first base duties and has held his own in the role with a .222/.322/.364 slash line that’s 1% better than league average by measure of wRC+.

In other Astros news, right-hander Jose Urquidy threw 59 pitches in a rehab start at the Double-A level on Saturday. According to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, the right-hander is set to make one more rehab start before being activated from the injured list. 

That Urquidy is nearing a return is surely a major relief for Houston, as the club’s starting rotation has been fraught with difficulties throughout the season. Rotation stalwarts Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez have each spent time on the injured list already this year, while J.P. France, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti have all struggled badly with ERAs north of 7.00. 

Right-hander Ronel Blanco emerged early in the season as a surprising anchor for the club’s rotation, but the righty is in the midst of a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s foreign substance policy that has put a further strain on Houston’s pitching apparatus.

Given those major struggles, it would be a huge help for the Astros if Urquidy can even deliver roughly average results out of the rotation. That was hardly an issue for the 29-year-old earlier in his career, as he pitched to a solid 3.74 ERA with a 4.35 FIP in 63 career appearances through the end of the 2022 season. 

The right-hander, though, struggled significantly last season and posted a 5.29 ERA (79 ERA+) with a 5.38 FIP in 63 innings between the rotation and bullpen as his strikeout rate dipped to a measly 16.4% while his walk rate crept up to 9.1%. Despite those struggles, the right-hander figures to slot into the rotation in place of Arrighetti or Brown and allow the club to either move the youngsters to the bullpen or allow them to work things out in the minors.