Report: Houston Astros High-Priced Slugger No Longer With Team
The Houston Astros have had tons of roster turnover throughout the early part of this season.
It's one of the main reasons why they got off to one of their worst starts in franchise history and currently sit 10 games below .500 entering their six-game home stretch beginning Tuesday.
Many of the roster changes have come from injuries, forcing the team to rely upon minor league pitching that delivered disastrous results.
But, this latest move has come from poor performance as Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports slugger Jose Abreu is no longer with the team as both sides agreed to him being optioned to West Palm Beach.
The goal of this is to reportedly "get some at-bats and his timing back right" and the move will be effective tomorrow.
General manager Dana Brown said, "He unselfishly was on board and agreement with going back to West Palm Beach."
Abreu has had a rough stretch since joining the Astros prior to 2023 on a three-year, $58 million deal.
Last season, he had his career-worst slash line of .237/.296/.383 with just 18 home runs. It was also the first time in his 10-year career that he finished with an OPS+ under 100 when he put up an 87.
However, there was some hope that the slugger might have found something at the plate late last season when he flashed his patented power that carried over into the playoffs.
That has not been the case so far.
Abreu is slashing an abysmal .099/.156/.113 with zero homers and three RBI through 22 games. He had already started to get less playing time, but an 0-9 stretch in Mexico City against the Colorado Rockies was likely the final nail in the coffin for both parties.
Houston has already announced they are calling up their star prospect Joey Loperfido who was expected to get the majority of reps at first base to spell the slumping Abreu.
Now with this move being announced, it's clear that the youngster will get the lion's share of work with the hope that he can provide a boost to this lineup.
What else comes out of this move remains to be seen, but on May 1, Abreu officially will not be with the Astros.
BRAD WAKAI
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai