Brice

Matthews

This is a routine day off for Smith, who has gone 3-for-22 over his last seven games. However, even over that stretch, he has a 4/4 K/BB ratio, a 45 percent hard hit rate, and four barrels. His .136 batting average over that last week is a far cry from his .293 xBA. While expected stats are not perfect, Smith continues to make plenty of hard contact this season, with massive improvements in bat speed and better plate discipline. We’d imagine a hot stretch is coming again. In the meantime, Taylor Trammell will continue to start in center field, Dustin Harris will play right field against a right-handed pitcher, and Brice Matthews will start in left field.

That’s an awfully bad game for someone who didn’t even have an at-bat. Matthews was inserted in place of Isaac Paredes after Paredes had a game-tying two-run single in the eighth and was immediately caught off first base. In the 10th, he bobbled a very routine grounder from Jordan Walker to start a rally after Alec Burleson had been retired for the first out. Matthews is also 3-for-28 with 16 strikeouts at the plate this year, and he’d seem to be in line to be demoted when Jeremy Peña comes off the IL.

“I’m not super concerned about it,” he said. “I obviously want to be on the field helping us win. Just going to get it looked at and kind of go from there.” Brice Matthews is more likely to play if Loperfido can’t go Saturday.

It sounds like a trip to the injured list is on the table for Meyers after dealing with a back issue during spring training. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point in the near future. An extended absence would pave the way for Joey Loperfido in center field with Brice Matthews seeing more time in left field.

Meyers was lifted from the contest following an awkward-looking check swing during his first at-bat of the contest. The 29-year-old dealt with a back issue during spring training so it’s possible he’ll require a trip to the injured list to put the issue to bed. The injuries are starting to pile up for the Astros at this point. An extended absence from Meyers would likely result in Joey Loperfido handling center field on an everyday basis with Brice Matthews getting more time in left field.

There had been some thought that Cole could break camp with the team, and he did hit four home runs this spring; however, he also had a 38.5 percent strikeout rate. The 25-year-old will begin the season in Triple-A to work on making more consistent contact. That means that Brice Matthews has made the Astros as a backup outfielder, with Cam Smith likely starting in right field.

That’s the good news for Matthews. The bad is that Jeremy Peña came back from his finger injury and homered in the game. If Peña is on the Opening Day roster, that’ll probably take away Matthews’ spot, since even though he might be worth keeping as a speedy option off the bench, the team is going to want him getting regular playing time.

Brown added that the club still views Matthews as a second baseman primarily, but he’ll get some time in the outfield moving forward after hitting .167 (7-for-42) with four homers and one steal during a brief 13-game late-season cameo with the Astros. The 23-year-old former first-round pick will increase his defensive versatility to battle for a bench role with the Astros in camp. He’s shown some flashes of power/speed combo upside, which makes him interesting from a fantasy perspective, but an inflated 27.9 percent strikeout rate across 498 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this past season suggests that he’ll battle some serious contact issues at the highest level.

Matthews had been playing center field at Triple-A Sugar Land since his last demotion and with Jake Meyers (calf) heading to the injured list on Saturday he may get an opportunity to play in the outfield at the big league level. The 23-year-old has hit .143/.211/.400 with three homers and eight RBI in 40 plate appearances with the Astros this season.

Matthews also started this game in centerfield and has now played six games in centerfield at Triple-A. It’s the first time in his minor league career that he has played the outfield. With Isaac Paredes and Carlos Correa both under contract for 2026, and Jose Altuve battling a foot injury that has made it hard for him to play the outfield, the Astros may be seeing if a move to center field could give Matthews a better chance to crack the starting lineup in 2026. His only competition right now would be Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick, so it’s a decent possibility.