One Astros Infielder is Desperate to See Bump in One Key Metric

The Houston Astros are desperate for players to step up and begin performing at the plate to jumpstart their underwhelming offense.

Averaging only 4.08 runs per game, which is 22nd in baseball, the team isn’t receiving the normal contributions a few of their key veterans would provide.

Six of their nine starters, catcher Yainer Diaz, first baseman Christian Walker, second baseman Brendan Rodgers, left fielder Jose Altuve, right fielder Cam Smith and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez all have OPS+ numbers under the league average of 100.

The team could still hold out hope for a few of those players to turn things around based on track record. An MVP-caliber performer, it is hard to imagine Alvarez struggling to that extent all year.

But, the same benefit of the doubt won’t be given to everyone, and Rodgers could be the first player to be replaced.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft has always possessed a solid glove, but he hasn’t lived up to the expectations of a player selected that highly because his bat never came along.

It has been a struggle again in 2025 with the Astros, with the second baseman producing a measly .198/.264/.271 slash line with one home run, four doubles and 10 RBI. He has struck out 40 times in 106 plate appearances with eight walks.

That is just not going to get the job done, making second base a clear area of need for Houston moving forward.

Brendan Rodgers Has Increased His Swing Speed to No Added Success

However, if there was one metric for Rodgers and the Astros to point toward that a bounceback could be on the horizon, it is his swing speed.

He is swinging the bat harder than he ever has in his career. His 2025 average swing speed is 74.1 mph, an elite number. That is good enough to give him the fourth biggest jump in year-over-year numbers; he had an average swing speed of 71.7 mph in 2024, as shared by Owen Poindexter of The Athletic (subscription required).

Rodgers is barreling the ball, hitting it hard and finding the sweet spot launch angle all at excellent rates, per Baseball Savant, yet his numbers aren’t reflective of those improvements.

Something isn’t adding up, because he has a very healthy .321 batting average on balls in play, so it isn’t poor luck attributing to his underwhelming slash line.

Normally, a player approaching 75 mph with their swing speed will experience incredible results on the field. That has not happened for Rodgers, who could be running out of time for his underlying metrics to keep him in the mix for regular playing with the Astros.