Brice

Matthews

Matthews re-aggravated a previous left knee injury while making a sliding catch during Tuesday’s game against the Mariners. He’s done for the rest of the regular season and won’t be able to return until the AL Division Series, if the Astros manage to get that far.

Varsho is on the bench for a second straight game due to the ongoing issue, according to Astros manager Joe Espada. It would certainly help explain his recent struggles as he’s hit just .083 (2-for-24) over his last seven games. He’s posted a disastrous .535 OPS with five homers and three steals in 41 games since being acquired from the Blue Jays at last month’s trade deadline. It’ll be Brice Matthews taking over in center field for the second consecutive contest.

Varsho takes a seat for the second straight contest with Brice Matthews getting an opportunity in center field. He’s really struggling at the dish recently, hitting .083 (2-for-24) over his last seven games. He’s posted a disastrous .535 OPS with five homers and three steals in 41 games since being acquired from the Blue Jays at last month’s trade deadline.

Varsho will take a seat with left-hander Martin Perez on the hill for the Braves. Brice Matthews will draw a start in his place in center field and will bat ninth for the Astros on Sunday afternoon in Houston.

Matthews is back in Houston’s outfield equation after missing roughly two months recovering from a left knee sprain. The 24-year-old former first-round pick was hitting .197/.250/.332 with seven homers and four steals in 226 plate appearances prior to the injury.

Matthews has been sidelined since suffering a left knee sprain just before the All-Star break. He has finally made tangible strides in his recovery though and should only need a weekend’s worth of games in the minor leagues before he’s an option to rejoin the Astros.

Astros GM Dana Brown said a couple of weeks ago that Matthews could return in mid-to-late August, but something changed there. This rules him out until Sept. 12 with the knee injury he suffered in the final game before the All-Star break.

Matthews suffered the injury during Sunday’s first half finale against the Rangers. No word yet from the Astros on how long they anticipate him being shelved for. Lucas Spence was promoted from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his place on the Astros’ active roster.

Matthews hurt the knee when he hit the wall while attempting to make a catch early in the contest. The 24-year-old will likely undergo testing, and the Astros will have the All-Star break to determine whether Matthews needs a trip to the injured list.

Matthews made things interesting with a three-run shot against Nationals reliever Cole Henry in the eighth inning that brought Houston within a single run at the time. It was his seventh big fly of the year and first time going deep since June 13.