Nebraska Baseball Alum Brice Matthews Promoted to Major Leagues

In the Pacific Coast League, the shortstop is tied for second in triples, third in stolen bases, tied for fifth in walks, and 10th in OBP among qualified batters in the conference. Matthews is widely considered the Astros top prospect, and is expected to make his debut at some point later in the 2025 season for Houston. The shortstop has been projected to take over the second base job when called up, as Jose Altuve has been moved to left field to provide aid for an Astros' outfield that has been injured in recent weeks.

Prior to being named a second-team All-American, the Houston native became the first player in program history and second player all-time in the Big Ten to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season, reaching base safely in the first 52 games of the 2023 season to extend his on-base streak to 55 games. He finished his final year in Lincoln hitting .359 with 11 doubles, two triples, and 20 home runs earning an All-Big Ten selection.

Matthews is the sixth former Husker to play in the MLB this season, joining pitchers Matt Waldron, Cade Povich, Spencer Schwellenbach, Aaron Bummer, and Houston outfielder Jake Meyers.

Matthews has been widely regarded as one of the best upcoming prospects, earning a spot on the MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospect list.

“Right now, the best thing for him is to continue to get at-bats in Triple A and continue his progress. He’s doing a really good job. I’m really excited about Brice Matthews," Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said last week.

The Houston Astros host the Texas Rangers for a weekend series beginning on Friday night at 7:10 p.m. The Astros will then play the Rangers on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. and will conclude the series on Sunday at 1:10 p.m.

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