These Five Astros Players Were at Bottom of Roster by Advanced Statistic

The story on McCullers for nearly his entire career has been his inability to stay healthy. It's been a rather unfortunate occurrence for the right-hander, who had always been very good when on the field and pitching. That was not the case this season.

Due to a flexor strain and a bone spur that required surgery and a setback during rehab, McCullers hadn't pitched in the big leagues since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. He hadn't started more than 20 games since 2021, but his return to the mound this season did not go as planned.

The right-hander made 13 starts throwing 51.1 innings, striking out 58 and walking 35 batters on his way to a 6.66 ERA. He was moved to the bullpen for the rest of the season.

It was his first action since 2022, so knocking off the rust is understandable. But when he was on the mound, he was a liability. His 6.3 BB/9 and 1.807 WHIP showed his command was not yet back to normal and he just couldn't limit base runners.

Chas McCormick, -1.0 bWAR

When he was last healthy in 2023, McCormick posted a 130 OPS+ for the Astros in 115 games, but he, like McCullers, has been snake-bit over the last two seasons. In 2024, he suffered a broken hand and a hamstring injury that kept him at just 94 games. This season, he missed time due to an oblique injury and being optioned down to Triple-A.

McCormick had -1.0 bWAR in just 64 games this season. Sure, a lot of it can be attributed to the injury, but when he was on the field, he was abysmal at the plate. The 30-year-old slashed .210/.279/.290 with one home runs, a .569 OPS and 59 OPS+. He was demoted for the second year in a row.

He was fine on defense, but not one of the better outfielders in baseball like he had been in years past. It was simply a lost year for McCormick, who had been a big contributor on the 2022 World Series team.

There is still room for him in the outfield if he can stay healthy.

Cooper Hummel, -0.7 bWAR

Despite only playing 36 games with the Astros, Hummel had the second most amount of innings in left field. Signed in June as a free agent, he was later granted free agency in August.

In his brief tenure as an Astro in 2025, Hummel wouldn't get it going at the plate. He hit three homers and drove in seven, but the 30-year-old struck out 30 times in 87 plate appearances, nearly 30 percent of the time.

He hit .172 with a 63 OPS+ in his time in Houston, as well as having -1 outs above average defensively, according to Baseball Savant. Hummel struggled in every aspect of the game, which is why he was granted his free agency and is no longer with the team.

Tayler Scott, -0.6 bWAR

Scott debuted in 2019, but pitchd in Japan the next two seasons. He didn't find a home until 2024, when he was brilliant in Houston's bullpen. In 62 games, he posted a 2.23 ERA and 9.3 K/9. The right-hander returned for the 2025 season, but things quickly went awry.

The 33-year-old pitched in 18 games, throwing 18.1 innings for Houston this season. He allowed 16 runs, 15 earned while striking out 17, but walking 14. His WHIP was up at 1.909. Scott was wild and just very hittable this season. It was a rough season after what was a career year in 2024.

By May 14, Scott had been designated for assignment and later signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. After a rough stint in Arizona, he was re-signed by the Astros on July 4. He was DFA'd again in August and is now a free agent.

Colton Gordon, -0.4 bWAR

Gordon made his major league debut as a 26-year-old in 2025. The left-hander pitched in 20 games, starting 14 of them and even earning a save. All of this came while he was recalled five different times throughout the season.

As a starter, Gordon threw 70 innings, striking out 61 while posting a 5.40 ERA. He really struggled with the longball, giving up 17 as a starter but 21 on the season as a whole in just 86 innings. His numbers weren't much better as a reliever, posting a 5.06 ERA in 16 innings.

Gordon was relied on pretty heavily as a rookie due to the plethora of injuries that Houston had dealt with all year. Unfortunately, the left-hander wasn't able to prove himself as worthy of a starting spot in what could be a pretty wide open rotation next season. His 2.2 home runs per nine and 7.5 K/9 will be difficult to succeed with.