Houston Astros Officially Activate Star Outfielder, Option Prospect to Triple-A

The Houston Astros are getting closer to full strength after they officially activated one of their star outfielders off the injured list.

Apr 14, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Chas McCormick (20) reacts after stringing out during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Entering Tuesday's slate of games, the Houston Astros have looked much better compared to what they were putting on the field during the early portion of the season.

As winners of seven out of their last 10 games, they are starting to make up ground in the division race that sees them in third place and just five out of first despite the slow start to their year.

What they needed to have happen was their starting pitching unit get healthy.

That occurred when Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, and Cristian Javier all made their return to the rotation after different stints on the injured list.

However, they still had a piece missing from last season's team who made an American League record seven straight ALCS appearance because Chas McCormick was sidelined with a right hamstring issue.

That is changing now as Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported the Astros have officially activated the 29-year-old off the IL. They optioned Trey Cabbage to Triple-A to clear a spot on the roster.

McCormick was a breakout player for Houston in 2023 when he set career-highs in home runs (22) and RBI (70), while also producing his best slash line of .273/.353/.489.

He was thought to be a staple in their outfield going forward, alongside Kyle Tucker in right and Jake Meyers in center, but things have not translated for him so far this season with a slash line of just .236/.325/.278 and only three extra-base hits, no homers, and eight RBI through 21 games.

The Astros need his bat to wake up if they want to reach their ceiling.

He was huge for them at the back of their lineup last year, being a consistent producer that lifted the entire profile of their offense as they didn't have to always lean on their stars.

Cabbage was acquired during the offseason and was seen as someone who might factor into their Major League roster after he put together a great showing with the Los Angeles Angels' Triple-A affiliate.

But, he's only gotten 10 games with Houston where he's gone 3-14 in his limited opportunties.

It will be interesting to see how the Astros utilize him moving forward as this roster gets healthy.