Astros Call Up Jacob Melton After Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick Injury News

The Houston Astros have added another injection of young talent into their starting lineup.

The Astros announced on Sunday that they promoted outfielder Jacob Melton from Triple-A Sugar Land to the Majors. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reported that Melton had arrived in Houston.

According to MLB Pipeline, Melton is the No. 2 prospect in Houston's farm system, behind only infielder Brice Matthews. At one time Melton was the organization's No. 1 prospect.

Melton, a 24-year-old, 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter, was the No. 64 overall pick in the second round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Oregon State.

After splitting his 2024 campaign between Triple-A Suger Land and Double-A Corpus Christi, where he put up solid but unspectacular numbers at both levels, Melton earned the chance to go straight to Triple-A this year.

He started the season working through an injury. He's made just 17 appearances so far, but he has taken a clear step forward, posting a .254/.371/.508 slash line while hitting two home runs and stealing three bases.

The Astros have some availability in their outfield after Chas McCormick hit the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique.

Houston also has a need for left-handed hitting, as the current iteration of the lineup skews extremely right-handed with Yordan Alvarez sidelined and Kyle Tucker replaced by a pair of right-handed bats acquired in the trade with the Chicago Cubs.

Alvarez is now expected to be out longer after it was revealed on Saturday that he had a small fracture in his right hand.

Melton provides both an experienced outfielder and a left-handed bat to the mix, so the timing for the call-up makes perfect sense.

The Astros have been outscored 30-8 by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first three games of a four-contest weekend series that ends on Sunday.