The Houston Astros came away with a series win over the AL leading Baltimore Orioles this week despite some underwhelming production from Jose Abreu in games one and two.
This shouldn't come as a surprise, as Abreu has struggled for most of the season. What is concerning though is despite how bad he was in the first half, his batting average and slugging percentage are actually worse in the 23 games he's played since the All-Star break.
And even though Abreu has been hitting in the heart of the Astros order, he's gone nine straight games without an RBI.
Something to monitor
Abreu didn't play in the finale against the Orioles, and he's reportedly dealing with some back discomfort. Hopefully his poor performance is due to his back issue, as opposed to him falling off a cliff statistically at age 36. Injuries typically heal. Father Time is undefeated.
With the Astros calling up Jon Singleton, and Dusty Baker moving Abreu behind Chas McCormick in the lineup recently, perhaps Houston's manager is starting to realize the reality of the situation. Abreu is the 8th-worst hitter in baseball based on his OPS, and should no longer be hitting in front of Chas McCormick moving forward.
With Baker starting to come around to the reality of the situation, we could see Yainer Diaz and Singleton getting more opportunities at first base. At least, we hope so. It's one thing to play Martin Maldonado as much as he does. Playing both of these guys regularly is one of the reasons the offense has been in the middle of the pack for most of the season.
Big picture
If Abreu is unable to get things going this year, what will the Astros do? Our guess, they blame his struggles in 2023 on a down year and a change of scenery, showing their full confidence in him publicly. Privately, however, they can't just hope he'll turn things around. They'll have to add some low-key reinforcements to the squad that can take his place in 2024 should he continue to struggle at the plate.
The Astros will still owe him $39 million for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Which will be a tough pill for owner Jim Crane to swallow. But he wants to win. If Abreu is keeping the team down, we think he'll be on board with exploring some other options at first base.
Plus, Astros GM Dana Brown had nothing to do with this contract, so it's not on him if the Abreu experiment fails.
Editor's note: This video was shot before Abreu's back discomfort was reported.
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How Houston Rockets hold the cards for a franchise-changing summer
May 8, 2025, 5:45 pm
It’s been a slog on the treadmill of mediocrity for the Astros thus far in 2025. Their 18-18 record heading into a weekend series at Daikin Park vs. the Reds is appropriate. Plenty of good teams will have similar stretches this season. The Astros have to prove that this year’s edition is a good team. Plenty of time for that remains. Reminder that the breakout 2017 Astros had a 74-game stretch over which they went 37-37. 162 games allow for a lot of ebb and flow. Of course, the 2025 Astros’ roster is not close to that of the 2017 squad. The point isn’t that this time could be a 101-game winner but that the 88 victories good enough for a playoff spot last year are still quite plausible this year.
The Rockets achieved mediocrity last season after three seasons as a laughingstock. This season they made the leap to good. While curling up and succumbing to Golden State in the decisive game seven of their first-round playoff series was a disappointment, the Rockets are in excellent position moving forward. Where they go from here should be quite interesting,
OF COURSE the Rockets are going to explore trading Jalen Green. He is obviously their most physically gifted player, but his consistent inconsistency is exasperating. Green’s series against the Warriors was basically an embarrassment with the exception of his 38-point game two outburst. The other six games, a meager nine-point-two points per game. That Green is still just 23 years old means it is not near obligatory they move on from him as Green starts a three-year 105 million dollar contract extension. However, the state of his game and comparison to a few specific players cast enough doubt about Green’s ceiling that declaring him “untouchable” would be ridiculous. During the Golden State series, an NBA play-by-play guy who I think is very good overall once referred to Green as the “Rockets’ superstar.” Anyone, including Green himself, who calls him a superstar either misspoke, was caught up in a moment, or is clueless.
Jalen Green just finished his fourth NBA season. Fairness requires noting that his first two seasons were compromised by being on atrocious Rockets’ squads. That said, Green was on 41-41 and 52-30 teams the past two seasons. In neither of him did he shoot a league average percentage either overall or from behind the three-point line. He did approach the three-point league average of 36 percentage made with his 35.4. That Green is an 80 percent career free throw shooter gives hope the three-point shooting can further develop. Better shot selection sure would help.
Green was the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, one year removed from high school. The player taken ahead of him was Cade Cunningham who also played just one year out of high school before going NBA. Cunningham joined a joke Detroit Pistons team. Cunningham is a much better player than Green at this point.
Other shooting guards who played one year after high school then jumped to the NBA, who were markedly ahead of Green after four NBA seasons include Anthony Edwards (first pick in his draft class), and Shae Gilgeous-Alexander (11th), and Devin Booker (13th). In comparison to each Green is a disappointment, though certainly not a bust.
What is head coach Ime Udoka’s bottom-line belief in Green fulfilling his potential? My guess is that cup is not overflowing. The Rockets’ half-court offense simply is not of championship caliber. Can it evolve there with Green, or is he better used as a piece in a trade offer with other players plus draft picks for a Booker or Kevin Duran? The Phoenix Suns are a near assets-less mess of a franchise in dire need of a reset. Durant will be 37 years old when next season starts, but is still a tremendous offensive player who would be a gargantuan half-court offense upgrade for the Rockets. The Rockets have so much draft capital that offering two or three first round picks plus Green, Cam Whitmore, and another player or two to make the salary cap math work would A: not empty out the Rockets’ flexibility going forward and B: have to get the Suns’ attention. If I’m Udoka and General Manager Rafael Stone, I’m making the call.
Courtesy of the Suns, the Rockets hold what is currently the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. The draft lottery is Monday night. The Rockets’ have a three-point-eight percent chance of winning it and the right to make Duke freshman superstar (and Final Four loser to UH) Cooper Flagg the number one pick. There is a 13.5 percent chance the Rockets move up to pick two, three, or four. Otherwise, it’s ninth, or lower if another team or teams vault up the lottery board.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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