Astros outfielder's future with team could be in jeopardy
Aside from a recent stellar performance in the opener of a series against the Toronto Blue Jays , third-year Astros outfielder Jake Meyers has struggled to find his place in Houston during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Meyers' MLB career started off promising, but following a shoulder injury in the 2021 ALDS, his performance has deteriorated.
Now time is running out for him to remain on the major league roster.
Meyers is arguably the weakest link among the other four outfielders on the Astros—Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick and Corey Julks. Alvarez and Tucker are better for obvious reasons, and McCormick and Julks have bright futures with the team. Meyers, on the other hand, has little going for him.
Offensively, Meyers has steadily declined since his rookie season. His batting average through 13 games in 2023 (.207) is .020 lower than his in 2022 and .053 lower than in 2021. Additionally, his strikeout percentage in 2023 (33.3%) is more than 10% over the league average (22.8%).
Defensively, Meyers is much stronger. He ranks third among American League center fielders for range factor (3.22) and makes solid plays from time to time, but his fielding does not make up for his poor hitting.
Since injured José Altuve and Michael Brantley will be added to the roster soon, two players will need to be sent to the minors. There is some debate as to who those two should be, but Meyers is a candidate. It would be disappointing to see him fall back into AAA after making such meaningful steps in the MLB.
Since starting CF McCormick is battling an injury for the next week or so, Meyers -- who will get increased playing time -- has a perfect chance to prove himself to the organization. If Meyers carries his momentum from the opening game against Toronto into the rest of the series and beyond, the Astros will have to think twice about moving him down when the time comes.
If Meyers does not improve his performance, he may be at risk of being sent to the minors for an extended period of time, potentially causing irreparable damage to his already fragile situation with the Astros.
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