Astros' Chas McCormick: Handling short-side platoon role
Rotowire
McCormick will start in center field and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Red Sox.
McCormick will pick up his third consecutive start and his second straight start against a left-handed pitcher (Garrett Crochet) after going 2-for-6 with two doubles and one walk in the final two contests of the Astros' weekend series versus the Yankees. The Astros appear to be treating the right-handed-hitting McCormick as a short-side platoon player, as the left-handed-hitting Taylor Trammell has typically seen most of the starts in center field against righties of late.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Notches steal Monday
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McCormick went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
McCormick has gone 3-for-11 with four strikeouts over three games since returning from an oblique strain that had kept him out since late May. The outfielder has started two of those games, both in center field, which will put some pressure on Taylor Trammell for playing time until Jake Meyers (calf) is able to return. For the season, McCormick is slashing .259/.333/.296 with no home runs, two RBI, nine runs scored and two steals on five attempts through 64 plate appearances. If he can't get his bat going, McCormick could eventually be limited to filling in as a fourth outfielder once the Astros are healthier.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Returns from IL
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The Astros reinstated McCormick (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCormick played six games in the minors while working his way back from a left oblique strain that has plagued him since May, going 4-for-23 with two homers, four RBI, four runs scored and a steal. Now healthy, he'll provide some depth to an Astros outfield unit that has been decimated by injuries. However, his .649 OPS in the bigs this year isn't likely to buy him regular playing time. Kenedy Corona was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Ready for rehab assignment
Rotowire
McCormick (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCormick has been shelved since late May with a left oblique strain but is finally ready to test things out in game action. If all goes well, he has a shot for activation from the 10-day injured list prior to the All-Star break. McCormick was playing sparingly before getting hurt and that's unlikely to change upon his return.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Live at-bats coming
Rotowire
McCormick (oblique) will report to the Astros' spring facility in Florida to face live pitching this week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The 30-year-old landed on the shelf in late May due to an oblique strain but is now nearing the final stages of his rehab program. Manager Joe Espada indicated previously that McCormick would require a rehab assignment before returning from the 10-day injured list, which will likely be the next step if the outfielder faces live pitching with no issues.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Nearing next step
Rotowire
McCormick (oblique) is likely to face live pitching within the next week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCormick has been on the injured list since May 31 and resumed swinging Friday. He's still a way away from being activated, however, as manager Joe Espada said McCormick will require a rehab assignment.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Starts swinging
Rotowire
McCormick (oblique) hit off a tee Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
It's the first update on McCormick since the Astros placed him on the 10-day injured list May 31 due to a strained left oblique. While it's encouraging to see him begin swinging a bat, McCormick likely still has more hurdles to clear before being activated.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Placed on injured list
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The Astros placed McCormick on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain, retroactive to Friday.
McCormick has gone 4-for-18 with two RBI and two runs scored since the start of May, but he'll now be unavailable for at least the next nine days while he recovers from his strained oblique. Shay Whitcomb will come up from Triple-A Sugar Land to fill the open roster spot.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Scores three runs in rare start
Rotowire
McCormick went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored Sunday against the Royals.
McCormick made just his seventh start of the season and hit ninth in the order. He led off the third and fifth innings with hits and came around to score on each occasion. McCormick is now 7-for-22 on the campaign.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Makes sixth start
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McCormick went 1-for-2 Wednesday against the Blue Jays.
McCormick appeared to be splitting with Jake Meyers in center field to begin the season, but his role has faded significantly of late. He was in the lineup for just the sixth time this season Wednesday, and he was removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth frame.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Being pressured for roster spot
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McCormick could be optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
McCormick has slashed .161/.409/.290 across 31 Grapefruit League at-bats, leading Rome to describe McCormick's role as the team's starter in right field as "tenuous at best." Several alternatives also appear to be on the table, including a demotion to Triple-A Sugar Land or being pushed to a reserve role. If McCormick loses playing time, Zach Dezenzo or Cam Smith would benefit.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Needs to earn PAs
Rotowire
McCormick is likely to begin the season as Houston's starting right fielder, but he will be on a short leash, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCormick had a very disappointing 2024 season, maintaining only a 66 wRC+ across 267 plate appearances. Due to Houston's lack of offseason additions in the outfield, he's likely to maintain a starting role by default, though he'll need to return to the form he showcased earlier in his career to maintain that status. McTaggart named Taylor Trammell (calf) as a potential playing time winner should McCormick continue to struggle.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: On Houston's wild-card roster
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The Astros activated McCormick (hand) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCormick has been sidelined since mid-September with a small fracture in his right hand, but he's progressed enough to be included on the team's wild-card roster. While an option to get some reps versus lefties, McCormick is not in the Game 1 lineup against southpaw Tarik Skubal.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Expected to be on wild-card roster
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that McCormick (hand) should be "ready to go" for the wild-card series against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCormick has been shelved since mid-September with a small fracture in his right hand, but he's been working out for the past week and it appears he will be part of the Astros' wild-card roster. The switch-hitting outfielder has put up just a .577 OPS over 267 plate appearances in 2024.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Set to resume swinging
Rotowire
Astros general manager Dana Brown said that McCormick (hand) will resume swinging the bat Monday with the hope that the outfielder could return from the 10-day injured list for the team's weekend series in Cleveland, MLB.com reports.
McCormick has produced a poor .577 OPS over 267 plate appearances with Houston in 2024, but he had enjoyed his best stretch of the season over his most recent eight games (10-for-24 with a home run and 1:2 BB:K) before landing on the IL on Sept. 12 with a small fracture in his right hand. The 29-year-old is ready to begin ramping up again following a brief shutdown period, and if he's able to swing the bat at full velocity and without discomfort, he looks like he could return to the Astros' active roster before the regular season comes to a close.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Officially lands on 10-day IL
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The Astros placed McCormick on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a fractured right hand, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
McCormick suffered the injury during Tuesday's game versus the Athletics when he crashed into the outfield wall. The fracture is considered small, and he will be eligible to return during the final weekend of the regular season. However, it's unclear whether he has a shot to make it back by that time.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Headed for IL
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Manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that McCormick has a fracture in his right hand and will need to spend time on the injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
McCormick crashed into the outfield wall during Tuesday's contest and had to make an early exit from the game, and it now appears the 29-year-old will need to sit out for a while longer. There's no telling if he'll be able to return before the end of the regular season.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Absent from lineup
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McCormick (wrist) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCormick exited Tuesday's 4-3 loss after he injured his right wrist when he collided with the outfield wall. He had made seven straight starts but will miss at least one game while he tends to the injury. Mauricio Dubon, Jake Meyers and Ben Gamel will form the Astros' outfield trio Wednesday.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Battling wrist injury
Rotowire
McCormick was removed from Tuesday's game against the Athletics due to right wrist discomfort, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
McCormick likely hurt his wrist while crashing into the outfield wall, though the severity of his injury remains unknown. Should he need to miss any games, Jake Meyers would presumably receive an uptick in playing time.
McCormick will start in center field and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
McCormick wasn't expected to be in store for a major role after being called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, but he'll draw a sixth consecutive start Sunday after going 6-for-18 with a double, a walk, three RBI and three runs. However, with Jake Meyers back from the paternity list and with Kyle Tucker likely to resume playing the outfield soon after being limited to designated-hitter duties in his first two starts since being activated from the injured list Friday, McCormick's playing time should soon fall by the wayside.
