In a pivotal game five in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies, 26-year-old rookie David Hensley will make his second career postseason start, at designated hitter, for the Houston Astros Thursday night.
Hensley received his first postseason start Tuesday night in game three of the World Series. Batting seventh, he singled to center field in his first at bat. Hensley would go 1-for-3, striking out twice, in his start Tuesday, after going 0-for-1 in the American League Division Series.
Hensley earned a promotion from Triple-A Sugar Land Aug. 20, making his big league debut for the Astros a week later, in an Aug. 27 game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Over 16 games, Hensley contributed as a utility man, making appearances at second base, third base, shortstop, left field and designated hitter.
Hensley shined at the plate, batting .345 with a .441 on base percentage, 1.027 OPS, 191 OPS+, one home run and five RBI.
A native of San Diego, California, the Astros selected Hensley in the 26th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft out of San Diego State University. As part of its new Collective Bargaining Agreement, as of 2022, MLB no longer has a 26th round. The Draft is now just 20 rounds.
Hensley was never a 'blue-chip prospect.' Prior to 2022, Hensley never ranked as a top 30 prospect in the Astros' farm system per MLB.com, but the infielder kept his head down and worked.
Hensley excelled in Double-A Corpus Christi in 2021, slashing .293/.369/.808 with nine home runs and 51 RBI over 105 games. He was named the Corpus Christi Hooks' Player of the Year.
In 104 games in Triple-A Sugar Land in 2022, Hensley slashed .298/.420/.898 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI, earning him his call to the show late in the season.
Hensley has seized nearly every opportunity he has been given, and Thursday night, he'll have a chance to help give the Astros a 3-2 World Series lead over the Phillies, before the series shifts to Houston for game six and game seven, if necessary.
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