Chris

Burke

Burke was the PCL’s Rookie of the Year after hitting .315/.396/.507 and stealing 37 bases in 51 tries for Triple-A New Orleans. The Astros won’t hand him the job, but they should give him a chance to win it in spring training.

It’s possible that Biggio will start at second and Burke will patrol left field on Opening Day. Possible but not all that likely. The Astros know Burke has more of a future at second base than Biggio does, and given that the rookie is a little inconsistent defensively, using him elsewhere for a year could hurt him for the long-term.

Burke, the Astros’ first-round pick in the 2001 draft, was hitting .325 in Triple-A New Orleans when he was called up on the weekend. He may eventually be good enough to be a number two hitter in the majors, but his defense needs work for him to be considered an every day second baseman. He will likely return to the minors as soon as Jeff Kent is able to play in the field again.

Burke, who entered the game in a 1-for-29 slump, was moved up in the order because Craig Biggio received the day off.

It was just his second home run of the year. Although this was a good game, Burke isn’t forcing his way into the lineup like Jason Lane is trying to do. He’ll probably continue to sit against a lot of right-handers.

Burke isn’t giving Willy Taveras an opening to win back his job. He’s hitting .392 with seven extra-base hits in 51 at-bats during June.

Burke missed just one game after his shoulder popped out on Wednesday. Both Willy Taveras and Jason Lane are on the bench tonight.

Burke was hit on the left elbow by a pitch from Horacio Ramirez in the second inning, but remained in the game until being replaced by Willy Taveras in the top of the fifth. He’s day-to-day.

Burke, who also reached on a base on balls, matched the Astros’ team record with the five runs scored. Burke has been getting a lot of playing time over Willy Taveras lately, and while he struggled to capitalize initially, he’s putting up some nice numbers now. He might have value in mixed leagues at some point.

Burke figures to need shoulder surgery at some point, but he could try to wait until the end of the year. He was getting a lot of playing time before he got hurt.