Trey

Cabbage

Cabbage was cut loose earlier this week by Pittsburgh to pursue an opportunity overseas and will head to Japan in an effort to build up his long-term appeal. The 27-year-old has put up ridiculous power/speed combo numbers at the Triple-A level, but has also struck out a ton in the process, and never quite was able to make it work in the majors.

MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf reports Cabbage has been cut loose to pursue an opportunity overseas. The 27-year-old was claimed off waivers last month from the Astros. He’s posted sublime power/speed combo numbers at the Triple-A level, but has never been able to parlay that brilliance into sustained success at the highest level. He’s exactly the type of foreign hitter that tends to excel overseas in either Japan or Korea.

Cabbage set Triple-A on fire in the Angels organization in 2023, hitting .306 with 30 home runs and 32 steals in 107 games, but he has been unable to carry that production over to MLB action. He has a .209/.245/.331 slash line in 67 MLB games with two home runs, two steals, and a 40.8 percent strikeout rate. The Pirates will hope they can get some production out of him in 2025.

Cabbage has been shipped back to the minors to free up an active roster spot for newly-acquired veteran outfielder Ben Gamel. The 27-year-old offers some over-the-fence pop and speed, but he’s still striking out at stratospheric rates.

The Astros sent Cabbage down to Sugar Land in part because of his inflated 36 percent strike rate in the big leagues, but they decided that was better than the 47 percent rate that Pedro León posted in seven games so Cabbage will get another shot. He figures to serve as a bench bat and depth across the outfield and at first base.

You can add León to the list of young players who put up intriguing numbers in Triple-A who weren’t quite able to transition that to the big leagues. The 26-year-old Cuban outfielder batted .297 with 19 homers and 23 steals this season across 93 games for Triple-A Sugar Land but was just 2-for-20 in seven games with the Astros while striking out 10 times and walking just once. He still has a good shot at an MLB future, but it will likely have to wait until 2025. Trey Cabbage was called up in a corresponding move.

Cabbage continues to strike out at a stratospheric rate in the majors, fanning in nearly 36 percent of his 87 plate appearances this season. The 27-year-old offers some over-the-fence pop and stolen base upside, but the abysmal plate skills have prevented him from carving out even a semi-regular role at the highest level.

Cabbage is getting the nod over Joey Loperfido, Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubón tonight. He’s hitting .234/.263/.377 in 80 plate appearances for the Astros. His 27/2 K/BB ratio is a near match for his 26/2 K/BB ratio in 56 plate appearances for the Angels last year. There is real power here, but the lack of pitch recognition doesn’t allow him to show it often.

The Astros have faced right-handed pitchers in each of the last three games, and Loperfido has been on the bench for each one, which is not a good sign for his playing time going forward. Trey Cabbage is starting in right field for the second straight day and perhaps surpassing Loperfido on the depth chart.

Cabbage, trying to distinguish himself in the Astros’ right field jumble sans Kyle Tucker, was excellent Sunday. He had four hard-hit balls and two of them were hit harder than 111 MPH. His 11th inning double finally broke this game open and there’s an ample opportunity for Cabbage to claim some playing time while Tucker’s status remains murky.