Zach

Dezenzo

With Jose Altuve returning from the injured list on Friday someone needed to get the boot from the Astros’ bench, and it appears as though Dezenzo drew the short straw this time around. Dezenzo has hit just .191 (9-for-47) with one homer, two RBI and a 19/4 K/BB ratio over 51 plate appearances in his time with the Astros this season.

Dezenzo was called up by the Astros on May 5th and started four of the first eight games he was with the team. He has now started in left field for each of the last six games. In that stretch, he has gone 4-for-16 with a double, a walk, and five strikeouts. He has just a 32 percent hard-hit rate on the year, and can be left on the wire in most formats.

Dezenzo has been brought back to the majors to fill a bench role with the Astros moving on from waiver claim Dustin Harris. The 25-year-old opened the season on the injured list recovering from a right elbow sprain.

Dezenzo will remain in the minors after wrapping up a rehab assignment. The 26-year-old has been out recovering from an elbow sprain since late March. Houston will roll with Zach Cole, Brice Matthews, Dustin Harris and Shay Whitcomb in a semi-rotation between a pair of outfield spots next to Cam Smith.

Dezenzo missed time at the end of the 2025 season due to a right elbow sprain and then had a flare up of the same injury during the World Baseball Classic. He’s likely to require several weeks’ worth of at-bats on his rehab assignment before he’s an option to help out the Astros at the Major League level.

Dezenzo hasn’t been able to hit without pain lately, and the Astros have already announced that he was going to remain in Florida to rehab, so this is not a surprise.

The 25-year-old outfielder is still unable to hit without issue and it sounds like he’s going to open the season on the 15-day injured list. Dezenzo battled a right elbow sprain at the end of the 2025 season and had a “flare up” during the World Baseball Classic, though an MRI revealed no structural damage. No word on any sort of timeline when he may be ready to return.

Dezenzo will be able to DH, and an MRI showed “everything fully intact structurally,” so this doesn’t seem to be a major issue; however, it could hurt the 25-year-old’s chances of making the Opening Day roster.

The 25-year-old has been sidelined since the start of June due to inflammation in his left hand. He had finally progressed to a minor league rehab assignment where he suffered an elbow injury while throwing a ball in from the outfield. It’s unclear how long this will set him back, but it’s very possible that he’ll miss the remainder of the season.

Nothing has changed in the prognosis for the 25-year-old slugger, this was done as a procedural move to free up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster for the addition of Brice Matthews on Friday. Dezenzo is currently pain free as he continues to recover from a capsule sprain in his left hand. He has yet to resume hitting yet and will require a minor league rehab assignment once he’s ready for live action. He now won’t be eligible to rejoin the Astros until early August.