The pressure is on for these players. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros made a surprising move this week when they signed former Rockies second baseman Brendan Rogers to a one-year deal.
With Jose Altuve taking reps in left field, this signing really got us thinking about what Rogers' role will be should he make the team.
Did the Astros sign him, hoping he would take over as the regular second baseman with Altuve moving to left? Or did they bring him on as depth which would allow Mauricio Dubon to be used all over the field instead of locked in at second base? Only time will tell.
Dropping Altuve?
Based on the Astros willingness to shake things up with Altuve, could we see another adjustment involving him?
Former Astro Josh Reddick recently talked about the ideal batting order on the Crush City Territory podcast. Reddick made the case that Altuve would be better suited hitting second.
Which is all well and good, but if they do pull the trigger and bump him down in the lineup one spot, who leads off?
That's where things get tricky. Two candidates that could make some sense are Jeremy Pena and Chas McCormick. Both have the speed to steal second base, but their on base percentages from last season don't instill any confidence.
However, if we go back to just 2023, Jeremy Pena's OBP of .324 isn't way off from the .350 Altuve posted in 2024. Pena also walked 43 times that season, just a few behind the 47 Altuve posted in 2024.
McCormick has a similar problem. If he can produce numbers similar to his 2023 season, you would have something. Which speaks to a bigger theme of this season for Houston.
Will Pena and McCormick continue to regress, or can they turn things around? For McCormick, if he's not hitting, it doesn't make a lot of sense playing him in right field considering his lack of arm strength. Ben Gamel is ready and waiting should they need him. And he hits left-handed.
Why does Jake Meyers get a pass?
Meyers is in a different situation entirely. Nobody expects him to hit, but they do need his speed covering the outfield to make the Altuve experiment worth trying.
Call to the bullpen
With Ryan Pressly gone, the Astros have some open spots in the 'pen. Forrest Whitley and Rafael Montero are going to get some opportunities this season, like it or not.
But will Whitley ever live up to his first round expectations, and can Montero regain his form from the 2022 season? The answer is probably no for both players, but they're going to get a shot, just based on the makeup of the roster.
Caleb Ort and Shawn Dubin are already dealing with injuries, so it will likely be all hands on deck for the Astros.
Finally, what do we think of the overall depth of this club, with so many big time contributors now playing for other teams?
Don't miss the video above as we break it all down!
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Astros turn it on late to beat A’s after McCullers strikes out 12
May 28, 2025, 5:11 pm
Zach Dezenzo homered and Victor Caratini drove in two runs in the seventh to help the Houston Astros rally for a 5-3 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday.
The Athletics led by 1 when rookie Justin Sterner (1-1) took over for Luis Severino to start the seventh. Dezenzo sent his fourth pitch 416 feet to center field for his second homer this season to tie it at 3-all.
DEZENZO. BOMB. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/ur27VQMcmm
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 28, 2025
There were runners on second and third with two outs in the inning when Caratini lined a single to center field to score 2 and put the Astros on top 5-3.
CARATINI FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/QX8fAMlQcd
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 28, 2025
Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr. allowed five hits and three runs in a season-long six innings in his fifth start after missing more than two seasons with injuries.
Shawn Dubin (2-0) struck out two in a scoreless seventh for the win and Josh Hader converted his 14th save in 14 opportunities with a scoreless ninth.
Jacob Wilson homered with two RBIs for the Athletics, who fell to 3-17 in their last 20 games.
Severino yielded three hits and two runs — one earned — in six innings. He struck out four to give him 1,003 strikeouts in his career, making him the 48th active player to reach 1,000 strikeouts.
Christian Walker was hit on the hand with a pitch to start Houston’s fourth. He left in the bottom of the sixth inning because of the injury. Manager Joe Espada said the X-rays were negative after the game.
Key moment
The Astros jumping on Sterner in the seventh to take the lead after Severino’s strong start kept them in check through six.
Key stat
McCullers struck out 12 to tie a career high he last reached in 2018.
Lance McCullers, 12th K. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/A3hJ0eSzId
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 28, 2025
Up next
LHP Jacob Lopez (0-2, 2.57 ERA) will start for Oakland on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series at Toronto. The Astros open a four-game series against Tampa Bay on Thursday night with RHP Ryan Gusto (3-2, 4.58) on the mound against RHP Shane Baz (4-3, 4.94).
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