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!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo 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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José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
Key moment
The home run by Peraza.
Key stat
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
Up next
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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