Taylor

Trammell

The Astros had done nothing against Troy Melton to that point in the game, as Melton had retired the first 16 batters that he faced in order before Trammell crushed an 0-1 fastball for a 422-foot (110.5-mph EV) solo shot that gave the Astros a lead they’d never relinquish. Trammell finished the night 1-for-2 and is now hitting .280/.337/.439 with two homers and nine RBI in 82 at-bats with the Astros this season.

Paredes has been struggling of late, hitting .164 (9-for-55) with three homers and five RBI over his last 15 games. Astros manager Joe Espada has opted to move him down in the order after mostly hitting second in recent weeks. It’ll be red-hot sluggers Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker moving up to second and third in the order to pick up a few additional at-bats with Taylor Trammell moving into the cleanup spot.

Trammell rejoins Houston’s outfield mix for Tuesday’s game against the Rangers following a five-week absence recovering from a left groin strain. The 28-year-old figures to occupy a reserve outfield role with the Astros moving forward.

Trammell was removed from Monday’s game against the Guardians with the groin injury, and imaging revealed the strain. The 28-year-old will get a chance to recover on the injured list and will be out for at least a couple of weeks.

Trammell appeared to tweak something while running the bases and was replaced by Cam Smith. He was 1-for-1 with a walk before departing. The Astros have seen their depth decimated by injuries recently so losing Trammell for an extended period would be some additional strain. He’ll presumably undergo further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue.

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.

Paredes has been struggling at the plate this season, hitting 208/.344/.283 with zero homers and six RBI in his first 64 plate appearances, so a day off to clear his head may do him some good. Taylor Trammell will draw a start in his place and play left field while Yordan Alvarez functions as the Astros’ designated hitter against Cardinals’ right-hander Kyle Leahy on Friday evening in Houston.

Trammell just missed a grand slam with a three-run double off Luis Castillo in the second. The 28-year-old isn’t all that far removed from being one of the top prospects in baseball, but at this point, he’s much more likely to be organizational depth than a consistent fantasy producer.

The 28-year-old outfielder will get his first chance this season to show what he can do at the big league level with Jake Meyers (oblique) heading to the injured list. He was off to an interesting start at the Triple-A level, slashing .226/.455/.548 with two homers, five RBI, four stolen bases and an 11/11 K/BB ratio across 45 plate appearances in his first 10 ballgames.

On the day that he was sent out to minor league camp, Trammell left the Astros with a parting gift, crushing a solo shot (106.8 mph EV) off of Michael McGreevy in the second inning that opened the scoring in the ballgame. The 28-year-old outfielder will open the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, but it shouldn’t be long before he gets another opportunity at the big league level.