Houston Astros To Promote Top Slugger In Minor Leagues: Report
If you've never heard of Joey Loperfido, get ready to hear his name a lot.
The Houston Astros have reportedly made the decision to call up the minor league slugger, per KPRC2's Ari Alexander.
Loperfido is expected to join the team as soon as they get back from their two-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the Mexico City Series.
The Astros have not made a formal announcement or transaction. The earliest he could join the Astros would be on Tuesday when they host Cleveland. The Astros are off on Monday.
The left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder was a seventh-round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Duke University. He has been one of the best hitters in the minors this season and leads all minor league hitters with 13 home runs in just 25 games.
He is the team's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline and a hopeful answer at first base. His emergence could not have come at a better time. Jose Abreu has been off to a horrific start to 2024. He is hitting just .099 with no home runs.
Loperfido could give the position and lineup an influx of youth and power as the team tries to claw back from its disappointing start to the season.
Entering Sunday's game with Triple-A Sugar Land he was slashing .276/.376/.684. The call-up would give him his first chance to face major league pitching since spring training. He had a nice spring, slashing .382/.488/.588 with seven RBI.
According to Astros general manager Dana Brown it was always a matter of when and not if he would be called up. Apparently the Houston front office has seen enough and is ready to start the clock on the slugger.
DYLAN SANDERS
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders