Zach

Cole

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters it’s going to take a little while for Cole to get back after he suffered a fractured toe over the weekend while playing for Triple-A Sugar Land. His absence is a hit to Houston’s outfield depth when injuries inevitable strike at the highest level.

Cole was an early favorite to make the Astros out of spring training, but he was overtaken while going 8-for-40 with 16 strikeouts. This will probably keep him out for at least a month before he can resume trying to hit his way on to Houston’s roster.

There had been some thought that Cole could break camp with the team, and he did hit four home runs this spring; however, he also had a 38.5 percent strikeout rate. The 25-year-old will begin the season in Triple-A to work on making more consistent contact. That means that Brice Matthews has made the Astros as a backup outfielder, with Cam Smith likely starting in right field.

Cole busted out in the minors last year and continue to thrive in 15 major league games at the end of the season, but strikeouts still could be his undoing. He’s fanned 14 times while hitting .172 in his 33 plate appearances this spring. Last year, he struck out 35 percent of the time in the minors and 38 [percent of the time in his Astros audition. Cam Smith currently has nearly 300 points of OPS on him (.871 to .582), so barring a strong finish in the Grapefruit League, he might be sent back to Triple-A.

Cole’s homer was drilled 109 mph out to left, but that wasn’t his hardest-hit ball of the day; he had a 114-mph grounder that went for a double play. Cole is only 3-for-19 this spring, but two-thirds of his 12 balls in play have been hit hard, and he’s collected five walks and four steals. He remains in the running to start in either left or right for Houston at the beginning of the season.

Cole’s three balls in play were hit 105.8, 101.7 and 101.4 mph with xBAs of .890, .650 and .300, but it did him no good in this one. Especially with Jesús Sánchez gone, Cole has a great chance to start against righties for the Astros. We worry about the strikeouts, but the speed and power could give him some value in deeper leagues.

In spite of a 36% strikeout rate, Cole is batting .279/.340/.605 with four homers through 14 games a major leaguer. There’s good reason for long-term skepticism, but he has been lightning in a bottle for the Astros. Unfortunately, what they needed was more like a Cat-4 hurricane.

No word yet on the reason for the late scratch. Cam Smith entered the lineup in right field with Zach Cole sliding over to cover center. Expect the Astros to provide an update on Meyers’ status shortly.

Cole got the Astros on the board in the third inning with a 443-foot (109.9 mph EV) solo shot off of Logan Gilbert, pulling the Astros to within six runs at 7-1. He also smacked a one-out single in the seventh inning and scored on an RBI knock off the bat of Jose Altuve. The 25-year-old rookie outfielder has impressed in his limited time with the Astros, slashing .296/.367/.630 with three homers and eight RBI in his first 30 plate appearances.

Cole’s homer gave the Astros a 4-3 lead in the fifth, and he later plated one of the two insurance runs. Cole was out of the lineup tonight for the first time in four games since he was called up. He’s 6-for-13 with two homers and seven RBI, so it should be a little while before he’s excluded again.