Zach

Cole

Cole has struggled mightily in his limited action with the Astros this season, hitting .157/.189/.353 with three homers, eight RBI and a 21/1 K/BB ratio in his 53 plate appearances. LaMonte Wade was signed to a big league deal to take Cole’s spot on the club’s active roster on Thursday.

Cole hit .157 (8-for-51) with three homers and eight RBI in 53 plate appearances over 18 games in his latest stint with the Astros. He’ll likely just be up as a reserve outfielder this time.

Cole returns to the minors after hitting .157 (8-for-51) with three homers and eight RBI in 53 plate appearances over 18 games during his latest stint with the Astros. It’ll be Taylor Trammell coming off the injured list to take his roster spot.

Cole has mainly hit in the bottom order since being called up, so this is a nice vote of confidence for the 25-year-old. He’s gone 7-for-23 with two home runs and six RBI in his eight games with the Astros, but also has a 9/0 K/BB ratio, so that overall contact will be something to monitor when projecting his playing time.

Cole was the hero for the Astros here after smacking a single past a diving Josh Naylor to win the game. Also, he nearly doubled his hit total on the season in this game, going from four before it to seven now. He’s still tyring to find his footing in the Astros’ outfield since being called up in early May and is yet to draw a walk with a predictably high strikeout rate.

The Astros were already up 5-0 in the ninth when Cole took Tony Santillan deep, so it wasn’t a difference-maker. Still, it can’t hurt Cole when it comes to playing time. He was predictably on the bench in a lefty-lefty matchup tonight, but he’s 3-for-3 starting against righties since returning to the majors.

Cole went deep in the fifth inning off Yoshinobu Yamamoto to make it an 8-3 game. The 25-year-old was just recalled from Triple-A before Monday’s game, so it’s a nice start to his 2026 campaign. He’s likely going to see some player time, but fantasy managers shouldn’t have much interest at this stage.

Cole returns to Houston’s outfield mix after opening the season in the minors where he suffered a broken toe during a Triple-A contest back in late March. The 25-year-old, who got into 15 games as a rookie last season, will function in a reserve role and likely split time with Dustin Harris in left field.

Cole broke his toe after being hit by a pitch in late March. This is his first game activity since. He’ll likely move back up to Triple-A and resume being useful depth for the Astros by the end of April or in early May.

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.