Houston Astros Shockingly Option Past Breakout Star to Minor Leagues

The Houston Astros made a surprising move by optioning last year's breakout star to the minor leagues.

Aug 12, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick (20) scores a run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at Tropicana Field / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

While the Houston Astros are still maintaining their grip on first place of the AL West, they haven't quite shown the level of dominance they have become accustomed to throughout their seven-year dynastic run.

Much of that can be pointed to the many injuries they have suffered with three of their starting pitchers out for the season and their superstar Kyle Tucker still on the injured list with his shin issue.

Still, the Astros are finding ways to win like they have done so often in the past, and with just about a month left before the playoffs, they are firmly in a position to win their division for the fourth time in a row.

But as Houston readies themselves for another deep run in pursuit of the franchise's third World Series title, they decided to make a surprising roster move.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros have optioned past year's breakout star outfielder Chas McCormick to Triple-A.

Nothing has officially been announced by the team, but the insider notes that McCormick personally told him and other reporters on the beat this occurred. The expectation is this will clear a roster spot for newly signed veteran Jason Heyward.

The 29-year-old put together an incredible season with Houston in 2023, finishing with career-best numbers of 22 homers, 41 extra-base hits, and 70 RBI to go along with a .273/.353/.489 slash line. His OPS+ was 30 points above the league average and was the third time he had been over the 100 mark.

However, McCormick could never find his way at the plate this year.

In 87 games, he slashed .192/.256/.292 with only five homers and 28 RBI, putting his OPS+ at an abysmal 56.

With Jake Meyers performing much better offensively this season and Yordan Alvarez playing in the field more, McCormick became expendable, especially after they added Heyward to the mix.

The hope is he will be able to find his swing down in the minors since he still has two more years of club control remaining.