Reddick running it back for Astros -- as a coach

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A familiar face is roaming the back fields and batting cages at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches this week, and former outfielder Josh Reddick’s presence in Astros camp comes with a purpose.

Astros manager Joe Espada invited Reddick, who played four of his 13 seasons in the big leagues with the Astros, to camp to work with Houston’s young outfield group that includes Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido, Zach Cole and top prospect Brice Matthews, who’s been getting some time in center field this spring.

“He brings vast experience -- a World Series champion, Gold Glove winner,” Espada said. “I love to have his presence around. Some of our young players could benefit from having him on both sides of the ball. Also, the personality. We all know Red has a little [fire] in him.”

Reddick, a Gold Glove Award winner with the A’s in 2012, was introduced to the players Monday morning and hit the field. Reddick played all three outfield positions in the Major Leagues but was primarily a right fielder. He started on the Astros’ 2017 World Series championship team in his first year in Houston.

Reddick, 39, still lives in the Houston area and does pre- and post-game television work on Space City Home Network.

“I was really not interested in coaching at all when I played, and now that I've gotten the invitation from Joe, I was really excited, a little more excited than I thought I was going to be,” he said. “It's good just to be around here and just to be out here for a short span of time and just getting to see everybody, because we've all grown so much.”

With Jose Altuve headed back to second base and Yordan Alvarez slated to be a full-time designated hitter -- or close to it -- the Astros have an opening in left field. In fact, Espada hasn’t named a starter at any of his outfield spots, though it’s believed Jake Meyers will start in center. Smith is competing for a job in right field, a position Loperfido and Cole can also play.

“I'm really excited to just watch them, how they get the reads off the bat in the game and working out there,” Reddick said. “I’m just trying to see how they work and the reaction time, and Joe even mentioned he wants me to kind of just float around the cages and work with some of the guys, too. So it's not just strictly outfield right now, which is good. But it's going to be fun to see those guys play.”

The Astros are also exposing Matthews -- drafted as a shortstop -- to center field this spring. There could be a path for him making the club in a utility role.

“A lot of Cam Smith-type athleticism in him, just goes and gets the ball, runs great routes on the short drills we've ran so far, but he looks natural out there,” Reddick said.

Speaking of Smith, Reddick already has some ideas to help him become a better defender. Smith made the move from third base to right field in camp last year and wound up being a Gold Glove finalist at the position. Reddick would like to see him get rid of the ball quicker on throws.

“He kind of takes that extra infielder shuffle that you see a lot to get that ball in, so maybe talking to him about just getting used to grabbing it and just launching it back in,” he said. “You have a great shortstop with great range, a great arm in Jeremy Peña.

“For me, it was always about getting the ball back to [Carlos] Correa as fast as I could to make sure that they could get it out as quickly as they could. So that's really all our job is as outfielders, is get the ball in, get it to your cutoff guy and let them focus on the rest. So just kind of speed up his release time getting rid of that baseball.”

Reddick, who retired after the 2021 season, said being back on the field reminds him how much he misses playing.

“It’s crazy because I just kind of got over that fact in the last 12 months of being OK with being retired,” he said. “But it's just great to be around the guys, being in the atmosphere.”