HOUSTON -- The Astros will be in the market to add an outfield bat prior to the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, but the club made a few moves on Saturday it hopes can, at least for now, energize a position group that ranks among the worst in the Major Leagues in OPS.
That included optioning starting center fielder Jake Meyers to Triple-A Sugar Land after he posted a .580 OPS in 52 games this season. Outfielder Joey Loperfido was also optioned to Triple-A, with outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. activated from the injured list and infielder/outfielder Zach Dezenzo recalled from Triple-A.
“Just trying to get some quality at-bats and also trying to get [Meyers and Loperfido] at-bats in Triple-A, and hopefully, we can get them going,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “There’s still a lot of season left so hopefully these moves make us better and we can get more offensive production.”
Meyers has played in 402 games in center field for the Astros since the start of the 2023 season, which is four times more than any other player. A Gold Glove finalist in the American League in ‘24, Meyers had his best offensive season in ‘25 (.292/.354/.373 slash line) despite missing two months with a right calf strain.
With Meyers in the Minor Leagues, Taylor Trammell and rookie Brice Matthews stand to platoon in center field, where Wade could also get some at-bats. Matthews has a .564 OPS, but he has some raw power (six home runs) and has become an elite defensive outfielder.
Matthews is tied for 17th in the Major Leagues with a plus-4 outs above average in the outfield and a plus-4 fielding run value in the outfield, and has a superior arm (89.4 mph arm strength in outfield) over Meyers (80.7 mph). Meyers is plus-2 in OOA in the outfield and has a plus-2 fielding run value.
“He gives you a lot of options,” Espada said. “Brice can come in and pinch-run, can stay in the game and play second and the left side of the infield, can play all three outfield positions. He’s done well in that role and this will create more opportunities for him.”
The Astros dangled Meyers in trades in the offseason, but he wound up starting in center field on Opening Day for the fourth season in a row. He slashed .206/.264/.316 and saw his strikeout rate go up and walk rate drop from ‘25.
“We’ve seen what Jake can do when he’s swinging the bat well,” Espada said. “This is a move just trying to improve our team right now. We’ll see where it takes us.”
Meyers missed five weeks with a strained right oblique and was hitting .192/.238/.293 in 40 games since coming off the IL on May 19.
“Last year, we saw a lot more line drives,” Espada said. “He used the middle of the field more. I think the swing decisions are still good. I think the injury kind of stopped his progression and his production. I think the same thing can be said about Joey. Both were swinging the bat really well before they got hurt.”
Loperfido bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues this season and missed six weeks with a strained right quad. Re-acquired from the Blue Jays at the start of Spring Training in exchange for Jesús Sánchez, Loperfido was slashing .216/.314/.333 with one homer in 39 games.
Wade, signed by the Astros on June 4, played in only four games with the club before missing 22 games with a right hamstring strain and he appeared in three games on a rehab assignment at Sugar Land. Dezenzo, who has a .595 OPS in 21 games with the Astros this season, can play the corner outfield and infield spots.