Shay

Whitcomb

Whitcomb gets the call to replace an injured Nick Allen (hamstring) on Houston’s bench. The versatile 27-year-old has gone 2-for-17 with one round-tripper and four RBI in 14 games at the big-league level this season. He’s always been an intriguing talent, and has posted some huge power/speed combo numbers at the Triple-A level, but it’s never really come together at the highest level.

Whitcomb returns to the minors to make room for center fielder Jake Meyers to come off the injured list. The 27-year-old has gone 2-for-17 with one homer and four RBI in 14 games for the Astros this season.

With Carlos Correa (ankle) done for the season, Whitcomb will be elevated to the active roster and fill a role as a reserve infielder. The 27-year-old is hitting .269/.296/.538 four home runs and four steals in 13 Triple-A games.

Whitcomb draws the short straw with Houston needing to bring up César Salazar as an emergency catcher with Yainer Diaz dealing with an abdominal injury.

The Astros announced that Allen is available to play, so it appears that Houston just wants to add some more offense into the lineup for Saturday’s game. Carlos Correa will move to shortstop, and Shay Whitcomb will handle third base and hit ninth in Allen’s absence.

Whitcomb was mostly playing third base in Triple-A, but he has some outfield experience if the Astros want to him out there against lefties on occasion. The 27-year-old is a lifetime .262/.341/.493 hitter in 314 Triple-A games, but he’s come in at just .173/.235/.253 in 81 plate appearances in the majors.

Whitcomb’s latest stint with the Astros wound up lasting just a few days while Isaac Paredes was away from the club on bereavement leave. The 27-year-old has put up some big-time numbers at the Triple-A level, and offers a ton of defensive versatility, but he’s struggled to gain any sort of traction at the highest level.

Whitcomb was hitting .308/.333/.577 with two homers and two steals in six Triple-A games, though he had struck out 10 times already. Perhaps he’ll get a start against a lefty while Isaac Paredes is on the bereavement list.

Both home runs were no-doubters, leaving the bat at 108.8 and 106.4 mph, respectively. They were his first two home runs of the season, but the 27-year-old is off to a nice start in Triple-A. Whitcomb has not put up good numbers in his 78 MLB plate appearances to date, but he has performed well in Triple-A and can play all over the field, so he should get another shot in Houston this year.

Whitcomb, 27, always faced an uphill battle at securing a bench spot on the Astros’ Opening Day roster. He wound up hitting .263 (5-for-19) with zero homers, four RBI, two stolen bases and a 7/2 K/BB ratio across 21 plate appearances during Cactus League play. He should get an opportunity with the big league club at some point during the 2026 campaign.