Dana Brown, Astros Roster Logjam Hindering Brice Matthews' Development

Brown's first test as general manager for the Astros came in the 2023 MLB draft. Houston got the No. 28 overall pick and drafted Houston native Brice Matthews. Matthews made his MLB debut on July 11 last season and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. While he did record a two-homer game days after his debut, the strikeouts were, unfortunately, something of a preview of what was to come.

To open 2026, Matthews won a spot on the Astros' Opening Day roster as a utility player, capable of moving to the outfield along with an encouraging spring training in which he posted an .817 OPS in 36 at-bats.

The early returns have not been encouraging. Through his first 28 at-bats, Matthews is batting a mere .107 with a home run and 16 strikeouts in 28 at-bats. That's over a 50% strikeout rate, unacceptable for a first rounder. Not only that, he's been rather underwhelming on the field.

Matthews' Costly Errors

On Sunday's matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, he committed two costly decisions: The first was when he was inserted Inserted as a pinch runner at the bottom of the 8th inning, representing the go-ahead run. The opportunity to drive him in was spoiled, as Matthews got picked off of first base,

The second blemish was the inability to field at routine grounder at third base that would have been the second out of an extra inning game. Unfortunately it led to an unanswered rally for the Cards, as they scored three runs on a bases-clearing double by Masyn Winn, another 24-year-old Houston native.

Time Is Running Out For The First Rounder

As Matthews turns 24, the former first rounder doesn't have much time to prove his worth and talent. On paper, he is a genuine athlete with plus speed and above-average raw power. Fans saw it with their own eyes first hand with his 434-foot bomb off newly signed Boston Red Sox LHP Ranger Suárez to open the 2026 season. Not only that, he hit for the cycle in Triple-A and stole 41 bases. Nevertheless, as many things haven't gone well for the Astros, it has not translated for the young rookie this season.

What he has gotten instead is the product of a general manager who built his first draft player selection of his front office career on borrowed time and has unfortunately dug himself in a corner of outfield and infield logjams. This creates the inability to construct the framework that turns a Kyle Tucker or an Alex Bregman, both former first rounders, into All-Star caliber talent.

Sure, the plate discipline problems are Matthews' to solve. But the positional logjam, the flip-fop between Houston and Sugar Land along the lack of a clear role, that is all on Brown.

Dana Brown Should Be On The Hot Seat

The Astros have been one of baseball's most recent dynasties. In a 10 year span, they have won two World Series titles, made the Fall Classic four times, and made seven straight trips to the ALCS. They overcame a scandal that could have destroyed everything they worked for. But dynasties end. What comes next depends on whether this front office can build something new rather than slowly falling from grace.

That was Brown's objective heading into the 2023 following the hire: keep the playoff window open while developing a new core. Since then, there has been little to no success.

Brown has said publicly that he projects Matthews to "turn the corner with the bat" and that second base is still his long-term home. But wishful thinking is not roster construction. The organizational message to Matthews has been murky from the moment he entered the league. So far he's been called up, benched, sent down, recalled, sent down again without playing, recalled for two garbage-time games at season's end, and then handed a utility role in 2026 that barely constitutes a development opportunity.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required) recently reported that Brown made a trade with the New York Yankees to acquire infielder Braden Shewmake on Sunday in an attempt to add depth. Adding insult to injury, Shewmake was selected in the first round by Brown in the 2019 MLB Draft when he was an Atlanta Braves scout.

On Monday, he was selected to the Astros major league roster, and could theoretically play multiple positions taking away playing time from Brown's first ever Astros draft pick in Brice Matthews.