Brice

Matthews

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.

Matthews heads back to Triple-A with slugger Yordan Alvarez returning from the injured list ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Rockies. The 23-year-old former first-round pick was only up four a couple days.

Matthews will get another opportunity with the big league club with Taylor Trammell (neck) landing on the 10-day injured list on Thursday. The 23-year-old has hit just .143 (5-for-35) with three homers, eight RBI and an 18/2 K/BB ratio in his limited action with the Astros this season.

Matthews is back in the minors with Jeremy Peña finally off the injured list from his rib injury. The 23-year-old didn’t exactly inspire in his time with Houston, but he’d be far from the first player to struggle early in his career only to find success. He should remain rosters in keeper/dynasty formats.

It looks to be nothing more than a breather for the 23-year-old rookie infielder. Matthews has slugged three home runs and driven in eight runs over his first eight games with the Astros, but has done so while slashing just .185/.267/.519 with a 12/2 K/BB ratio in 32 plate appearances. Zack Short will start in his place at shortstop and bat ninth for the Astros on Friday evening in Houston.

Matthews drew a walk in the sixth inning, then put the Astros ahead with a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The 23-year-old infielder has flashed his power potential with three home runs in the last two days, but still displays too much swing-and-miss in his game thus far with nine strikeouts in 24 plate appearances.

Matthews got his first MLB homer of his career in the second inning, off Zac Gallen, to give Houston a 3-1 lead. He took Gallen deep again in the seventh inning to give Houston a 6-3 cushion. Matthews had not impressed with the bat at all coming into Monday, but this is a first-round selection in 2023 who does offer fantasy upside. This was pretty good evidence of it.

Matthews went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Friday in his major-league debut. The 23-year-old shortstop was Houston’s first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and does offer some power/speed combo potential in deeper mixed leagues. He’s going to face an adjustment period as he acclimates to everyday life in the big leagues, but he’s going to get some runway with Jeremy Peña (rib) on the shelf in addition to injuries to Luis Guillorme (hamstring) and Brendan Rodgers (oblique).