Joey

Loperfido

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.

Loperfido knocked a base hit in the first inning, drew a walk in the third, then doubled to score a run in the fourth. He singled in the sixth to drive in his second RBI and scored his second run in the inning. Loperfido would walk in the ninth to reach base for the fifth time in the team’s 11-0 blowout win. The 26-year-old outfielder has been limited to starts against right-handed pitching, but has taken advantage going 8-for-22 (.364).

Smith draws his first off day after starting eight consecutive contests in right field. The 23-year-old former top prospect is hitting .222 (6-for-27) with one homer and two steals this season. The fact that he’s posted a near-elite 74.4 mph bat speed so far is an encouraging sign for his future, even if he’s not making a ton of loud contact right now. It’ll be Joey Loperfido taking over in right field in his place.

Paredes will get has gone 4-for-19 (.211) with a .687 OPS over the first five games of the season. The 27-year-old will get his first breather of the season with Yordan Alvarez the designated hitter and Joey Loperfido in left.

As a team, the Astros were only able to muster three hits against Jose Soriano and company, with Loperfido accounting for two of them personally. He smacked a one-out single in the second inning and a two-out double in the sixth, but the Astros were unable to cash him in either time. Loperfido started in left field and batted fifth for the Astros in this one, which is probably what we can expect going forward when the Astros are facing a right-handed starter.

Loperfido drove in a run with an RBI ground out in the third inning that pulled the Astros to within a run at 3-2. He has had a solid spring in his return to the Astros, hitting .351 (13-for-37) with a homer, six RBI and three stolen bases. He’s set to see regular action against right-handed pitching and makes for an interesting post-hype sleeper as a late-round option in mixed league drafts.

Loperfido now has seven walks to just six strikeouts this spring, which is certainly something to note from a player with a 4.6 percent career MLB walk rate and 33.3 percent career MLB strikeout rate. He also has two steals this spring while hitting .355/.474/.484 in 14 games. He will start against all right-handed pitching and could be worth a flyer late in drafts in case this plate discipline carries over.

Loperfido’s lone out was actually his hardest-hit ball today, traveling 371 feet with a 108.2-mph exit velocity. He’s 6-for-22 with four walks and two steals this spring as he tries to make the Astros as a platoon outfielder. Whether the Astros carry both he and fellow lefty Zach Cole will probably come down to how often they intend to use Yordan Alvarez in the outfield.

Loperfido has been an interesting young slugger for a couple seasons now but he’s probably going to strike out too often to be an everyday player. The 26-year-old former top prospect makes sense for Houston in a platoon role against right-handed pitching. It caps his realistic fantasy upside but it gives him a chance at sustained success, which is probably the more important variable at this stage of his career.