The Houston Astros have made it to the All-Star break, and it may be coming at the perfect time. A total of 16 players are currently on the injured list for Houston, and it’s a massive storyline for when the Astros resume play with a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on July 18.
With reinforcements like Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez potentially returning to the lineup soon, other Astros may take some more time and might not even have a spot available to them when they’re ready to play again. That is the case for one veteran who is currently on the shelf and may have taken his last at-bat for Houston as he rehabs his latest injury.
Astros Could Part Ways with Brendan Rodgers After All-Star Break
The Astros' plans at second base have seemingly been in flux since Opening Day and have gotten worse with the performance of Brendan Rodgers. A free agent signed to a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies, Rodgers was supposed to bring a modest bat and Gold Glove caliber defense to second base to allow Jose Altuve to move to left field, but Houston hasn’t gotten its money’s worth on the $2 million investment.
Rodgers has been solid in the field, logging two defensive runs saved in 41 games this season. But a bigger problem for the Astros has been at the plate, where he’s hit .191/.266/.278 with two homers and 11 RBIs. More troublesome than his traditional stats are the analytics where he’s posted favorable barrel (14.3%) and hard-hit rates (48.6%) but also has miserable whiff (37.8%) and strikeout (35.9%) rates according to Baseball Savant.
Further complicating things is the Astros’ current lineup. Altuve has struggled at both positions this season, logging a minus-8 in defensive runs saved in left field and a minus-4 at second base, but has played both positions out of necessity, including two of the three games in left during last week’s series with the Texas Rangers.
Injuries to Jake Myers and Chas McCormick have also worn the outfield thin, and the Astros could look for an outfielder to help them complete their push to the playoffs.
The above has all gone down with Rodgers on the injured list with a left oblique strain. While the Astros could allow him to return, it’s unlikely he’ll be a long-term fixture in the lineup unless he improves on his .544 OPS. It could leave Rodgers without a spot to return to and have him looking for a job by the time the trade deadline hits.