Houston Astros infielder Brice Matthews (86) throws to first base against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Houston Astros, Athletics' Prospects Combine For Wild Minor League History on Saturday

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 11, 2025 12:18 PM ET

A fun bit of fun history happened on Saturday across Minor League Baseball as two different players hit for the cycle on the same day for the first time since 2022.

First, it was CJ Alexander of the Athletics, playing for Triple-A Las Vegas. Then, it was Brice Matthews of Triple-A Sugar Land, the affiliate of the Houston Astros.

Now we know what the C in CJ Alexander stands for ... CYCLE!

Make it FOUR straight years a member of the @Athletics has delivered the milestone for @AviatorsLV pic.twitter.com/DEfDuMCpDY
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 11, 2025

WE'VE GOT ANOTHER CYCLE

Brice Matthews (@astros) delivers the goods for the @SLSpaceCowboys, making Saturday the first time since Aug. 9, 2022 there's been two cycles on the same day! pic.twitter.com/X7lVDOxxpu
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 11, 2025

The 28-year-old Alexander is hitting .242 this season with eight homers, 28 RBIs and two stolen bases. He's got a .329 on-base percentage. He appeared in four games for the 2024 Kansas City Royals, getting one hit. That represents his only big-league action thus far.

Matthews, 23, is the No. 2 prospect in the Astros' system. A first-round pick in 2023, he played his college ball at Nebraska. An infielder by trade, he's hitting .220 with a .366 on-base percentage. He has four homers and 12 RBIs.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

The bat speed in Matthews' right-handed stroke and the strength in his compact 5-foot-10 frame produced some of the highest exit velocities in the 2023 Draft. He drives the ball in the air consistently and possesses at least plus raw power that plays from the left-field line to right-center, giving him the potential for 25 or more homers per season. After he struggled in his pro debut, the Astros helped him make adjustments to his swing and approach to try to help him make more regular contact. He rarely chases pitches but has more in-zone swing and miss than is desirable, resulting in a 31 percent strikeout rate in 2024.

At the big-league level, the Astors will play the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, while the A's will play the New York Yankees.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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