Matthews went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 12-2 loss to the Dodgers.
The 24-year-old led off the bottom of the first inning by ripping a Tyler Glasnow (back) sinker into the Crawford Boxes in left field, but it was the only lead the Astros would hold on the afternoon. Matthews is up to four homers on the season, and three of them have come in the last nine games -- a stretch in which he's batting .323 (10-for-31) with five runs and eight RBI as he begins to establish himself as an everyday player for Houston.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Belts three-run homer Saturday
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Matthews went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk during the Astros' 6-3 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday.
Matthews gave Houston a 4-0 run lead after belting a three-run long ball to center field off Connelly Early. It was the third home run of the season for Matthews, two of which have come over his last five games. In that five-game span, he has gone 9-for-21 (.429) with one steal, six RBI and four runs scored. Matthews has enjoyed more playing time in the outfield as of late due to the absences of Joey Loperfido (quadriceps), Taylor Trammell (groin) and Jake Meyers (oblique), all of whom are on the Astros' 10-day injured list.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Pops second homer
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Matthews went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Orioles.
Getting another start in center field and batting ninth, Matthews launched a solo homer off Shane Baz in the fifth inning to get Houston on the board, and give the converted second baseman his second long ball of 2026. The performance snapped an 0-for-10 skid for the 24-year-old, but since becoming a regular member of an injury-thinned outfield back on April 20, Matthews is batting .300 (6-for-20) with three doubles, a homer, a steal, three runs and four RBI.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Swipes first bag
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Matthews went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, a run scored and a stolen base in Monday's 9-2 win over the Guardians.
The stolen base was the first of the season for Matthews, who stole 41 bags with Triple-A Sugar Land last season. Matthews had been scuffling at the plate coming into Monday's contest -- he'd gone just 1-for-19 in his previous 11 games. Despite his struggles to start the year, the 24-year-old Matthews could be in line for more playing time in the outfield with Taylor Trammell (groin) likely to join Jake Meyers (oblique) and Joey Loperfido (quadriceps) on the injured list.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: IL move official
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The Astros placed Loperfido on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a right quadriceps strain.
The 26-year-old sustained the quad injury during Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals. Loperfido will be eligible to be reinstated April 28, and Astros general manager Dana Brown said during a radio appearance Sunday that he's optimistic that the 26-year-old outfielder will be ready to return at that time, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. In the meantime, the Astros will likely lean on Brice Matthews, Dustin Harris and Shay Whitcomb to pick up reps in left field in Loperfido's absence.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Launches first homer
Rotowire
Matthews went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-1 win over the Red Sox.
Matthews extended Houston's lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning with a 434-foot blast off Ranger Suarez, his first homer of the year. The right-handed hitting Matthews has been platooning with Joey Loperfido to open the year, starting in three of the Astros' first five contests. He's now 2-for-9 with six strikeouts and no walks.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Claims Opening Day roster spot
Rotowire
The Astros announced Wednesday that Matthews won a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Matthews is set to begin the season as a utility player for the Astros after producing an .817 OPS while seeing time at second base, left field and center field during spring training. The 24-year-old is also capable of playing shortstop, though the Astros will go with Carlos Correa at that position in Thursday's season opener versus the Angels as a replacement for the banged-up Jeremy Pena (finger). Matthews, who slashed just .167/.222/.452 in 47 plate appearances during his first taste of the majors last season, is likely to see most of his starts against left-handed pitching in the early going.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Strong start to spring
Rotowire
Matthews went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's Grapefruit League game versus the Pirates.
Matthews has swung the bat well to start the spring, going 4-for-10 with a double and a stolen base in his first four Grapefruit League games. Matthews, a first-round pick in 2023, is primarily an infielder, though he's been getting more work in the outfield this spring in an effort to make the Opening Day roster as a utility piece. Matthews struggled in a brief major-league stint last season, batting just .167 with four homers across 47 plate appearances. However, he put up impressive numbers in 112 games with Triple-A Sugar Land, slashing .260/.371/.458 with 17 homers and 41 stolen bases across 498 plate appearances.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: To play some outfield in 2026
Rotowire
Matthews is still viewed as a second baseman long term, but he'll also play in the outfield in 2026, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
"He's going to get some run in the outfield, but second base is still going to be his main position," general manager Dana Brown said. "We project he'll turn the corner with the bat and get maybe some run in the outfield a little bit, as well." Matthews is situated as a backup option at shortstop and second base, and he would need an injury to Jeremy Pena or Jose Altuve to see significant work in the middle infield in 2026. The Astros probably aren't done making moves this offseason either and could add more outfield options, but Brown and manager Joe Espada were complimentary about Matthews' potential in the short term and long term. Matthews is a great athlete with plus speed and above-average raw power. He slashed .260/.371/.458 with 17 home runs, 41 steals and a 27.9 percent strikeout rate in 112 games in the Pacific Coast League. A .167 BABIP and 42.6 percent strikeout rate led to a .167 batting average and .222 on-base percentage in the majors, but he showed off his tools with four home runs and one steal in 13 games.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Back in big leagues
Rotowire
Matthews was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Matthews will return to the major-league roster after being sent down Aug. 26, batting .209 with four home runs, 17 RBI, 12 runs scored and 11 stolen bases over 24 games following his demotion. Matthews will replace Jake Meyers (calf) with the big-league club after Meyers was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Astros optioned Matthews to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Matthews was recalled last week but did not make an appearance during this most recent stint in the majors. He's clearing out to make room on the active roster for the return of Yordan Alvarez (hand).
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Rejoins big club
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The Astros recalled Matthews from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Matthews is taking the roster spot of the injured Taylor Trammell (neck). The rookie had a .611 OPS and 45 percent strikeout rate during his first stint with the big club and is a candidate to be sent back down soon with Yordan Alvarez (hand) nearing his return from IL.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Taking seat again Wednesday
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Matthews is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Since slugging three home runs and driving in seven runs in his first six big-league games, Matthews' production has fallen off considerably. In his last five contests, Matthews has gone just 1-for-15 with nine strikeouts, and his ongoing struggles appear to have resulted in him moving into more of a part-time role. He'll be on the bench Wednesday for the fourth time in six games.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Sitting out again Tuesday
Rotowire
Matthews is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Nationals.
Matthews is just 1-for-15 with nine strikeouts over his previous five games and has now been out of the lineup three times across the Astros' last five contests. Shay Whitcomb is handling second base and batting eighth Tuesday.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Getting Sunday off
Rotowire
Matthews is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.
Matthews will hit the bench for the second time in the series while he's gone just 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts over his last four games. With Matthews out of the lineup, Jose Altuve will fill in at the keystone, while Cooper Hummel picks up a start in left field.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Hits go-ahead blast
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Matthews went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
Matthews appears to be liking Arizona's pitching, hitting the first three homers of his big-league career over the last two games. The infielder's blast off reliever Jake Woodford on Tuesday was a clutch one, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning after they were stymied for 6.1 innings by Eduardo Rodriguez. Matthews is now 4-for-20 with three homers, seven RBI, five runs scored and a 2:9 BB:K through six major-league contests. As long as he continues to show growth at the plate, he should be able to hold down a starting role at second base.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Slugs first two homers
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Matthews went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Monday's 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Matthews had shown little success at the plate during his first call-up, going 1-for-12 with a walk and six strikeouts over his first four games. That changed Monday, as he took Zac Gallen deep in the second inning for a three-run blast, then came back for more with a two-run homer in the seventh to chase the Arizona starter from the game. Matthews still has some work to do to become a trusted part of the Astros' lineup, but the team is letting him do some learning on the job for now. He's started five of seven games at second base since his call-up, and if Matthews sticks there, Jose Altuve will continue to see more time in left field.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Officially called up
Rotowire
The Astros selected Matthews' contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday.
As expected, the 23-year-old will join Houston for the start of a three-game homestand against Texas and is poised to make his MLB debut. Matthews has posted 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases, along with an .876 OPS for Sugar Land this season. He could take over as the starter at second base while Jose Altuve reinforces the Astros' injury-plagued outfield, which just lost Jake Meyers (calf).
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Joining Astros on Friday
Rotowire
The Astros are expected to select Matthews' contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Matthews will get a chance to show off his skills in the majors after slashing .298/.401/.504 with four homers, 16 RBI, 24 runs scored and nine stolen bases across 31 games since the beginning of June. The Astros may look to use the 23-year-old regularly at second base while returning Jose Altuve to left field to provide aid for an outfield unit that has been hit hard by injuries recently.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Excelling since return from concussion
Rotowire
Matthews (concussion) has gone 11-for-23 with two home runs, three doubles, four walks, 10 RBI and five runs in six games since being activated from Triple-A Sugar Land's 7-day injured list May 24.
Matthews missed about a week and a half of game action after sustaining the concussion on a slide during a May 13 game. He's exhibited no signs of rust since returning to action and is now maintaining a .272/.401/.450 slash line with six home runs and 16 steals over 43 games on the season with Sugar Land. The 23-year-old infielder doesn't possess a spot on Houston's 40-man roster but nonetheless stands a good chance at making his MLB debut later this season.
