Why Houston Astros answer at first base may be the most brutal

STONE COLD 'STROS

Why Houston Astros answer at first base may be the most brutal
Jose Abreu is off to another slow start. Composite Getty Image.

Coming into the season, one of the areas of the club the Astros were hoping would improve was the play at first base. Jose Abreu finished the 2023 regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball among qualified players.

However, he did play well in the postseason. So fans were holding out hope we would see that version of Abreu in 2024.

Unfortunately, with three series already in the books, Abreu has done little to make people believe he'll be any better this season. He's currently hitting .067 (2-30) with an OPS of .219.

If Abreu had enough at-bats to qualify, he would have the worst OPS in baseball. Certainly the stats are concerning, as they show a trend that is continuing from last season. But the eye test is what really stands out with Abreu. He looks overmatched even by fastballs in the low-nineties, and his frustration was noticeable after poor at-bats in the Rangers series.

But what can the Astros do? Manager Joe Espada has already moved him down to the seven spot in the lineup, and his backup Jon Singleton isn't hitting much better.

The 'Stros don't really have any minor league first basemen ready to make the jump to the big leagues. Joey Loperfido is crushing dingers at Triple-A, but he's also striking out at an alarming rate.

Many fans are clamoring for Mauricio Dubon to get some starts at first base, be he doesn't have much experience at the position, and he doesn't provide the power numbers of a typical first baseman. But at this point, something has to be better than nothing.

As it stands today, the Astros might have to roll with the most brutal option, starting Abreu and hoping he somehow pulls out of his yearlong funk.

Don't miss the video above as we address Abreu's disappointing start to the season, and discuss some other options the Astros may turn to if his struggles continue.

Most Popular

The Texans are down two playmakers. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

It's no secret that the Texans' offense hasn't been the same since Stefon Diggs went down with an ACL injury midseason. To make matters even worse, Houston lost Tank Dell for the year, suffering a catastrophic knee injury against the Chiefs just a few weeks ago.

In an attempt to replace that production, the Texans took a flier on the talented and temperamental Diontae Johnson, who has worn out his welcome with now four NFL teams.

That's right. Aaron Wilson is reporting that the Texans have cut Johnson and elevated Jared Wayne from the practice squad.

This move is disappointing on so many levels. Houston desperately needs a playmaker to pair with Nico Collins, that's why they took a chance on the disgruntled receiver to begin with.

And while it's fair to blame Johnson for displaying displeasure about his role in a playoff game in which his team won, there are two sides to every story.

I certainly don't put this on the Texans. Johnson has proven many times to be a bad teammate, and who wants to deal with that during a playoff push?

But the Texans did only target Johnson one time in the game, which he caught and led to a field goal. While receiver John Metchie got most of the playing time despite losing a fumble on the first offensive possession of the game, costing the Texans three points.

Metchie almost had another fumble shortly after the first one, but luckily the refs ruled an incomplete pass on the play. My guess is Johnson correctly thought he was a better option than Metchie, who hasn't done anything of significance at this point in his NFL career, and was playing like the moment was too big for him.

As Metchie was making mistakes, I found myself looking for Diontae on the field and wondering why he wasn't getting more opportunities with Metchie looking like a disaster.

What's even more concerning was Nico Collins not receiving a target until the second quarter, but that's a story for another day.

As we look back at the stat sheet, Johnson was only on the field for 16 snaps, by far the fewest of Texans receivers. Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson played a much bigger role than he did.

If the Texans could do things over, planning to get the ball to Collins and Johnson early could have gotten the offense rolling, instead of waiting for the broken play that sparked CJ Stroud and the offense in the second quarter.

But instead, the former Pro Bowler had almost no role in the game, complained about it following a huge win, and is now off the team.

He could have been a very valuable asset against the Chiefs, who will likely take away Collins, forcing Stroud to go to his other options. Now, those options will be players that couldn't crack the starting lineup on any decent team.

Plus, tight end Cade Stover broke his collarbone against the Chargers, and has been placed on IR. It might not seem like a big deal losing Stover, after all, he hasn't been a very big piece of the offense this year.

But he hauled in four passes against the Chargers, the second-most on the team, tied with Metchie. Which also shows you how much Houston needs help at receiver.

At the end of the day, the friction with Johnson probably couldn't have been avoided. It's hard to get newly acquired players comfortable with a new offense and quarterback. Especially if he has an attitude.

But the Texans did know his frustration with the Ravens was all about his role, or lack there of. One can't help but wonder what might have been had the Texans decided to get him the ball early, to try to get some buy-in from a talented player they desperately needed.

There's a reason Jared Wayne (who collided with Dell in KC, ending his season) is being added from the practice squad, and Johnson is a former Pro Bowler.

And kudos to Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans for taking a chance on Johnson. Often, this franchise has avoided rolling the dice on a volatile player.

They gave it a shot, it didn't work, and they cut him. It was a low risk move worth trying that didn't pay off. And for Johnson, good luck finding another team.

This dude clearly prioritizes complaining over winning football games. Have fun explaining your antics to other teams when trying to get a contract next season. If you can't play for John Harbaugh or DeMeco Ryans, that says a lot about the player.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM