Astros Utility Man Turning to Torpedo Bat After Slow Start to Season

The Houston Astros utility star is going to try out a torpedo bat after his slow start to the 2025 season.

Mar 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubon (14) bats during the game against the New York Mets at Daikin Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Offense has been hard to come by for a handful of Houston Astros players to start this year, and at least one guy is going to give a torpedo bat a try as he looks for a fix.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic shared a picture on Saturday afternoon of Mauricio Dubon showing off his brand new bat.

He is the first Astros player to buy in on the hype and try it out.

The torpedo bats were the first real story of this baseball season after the New York Yankees popularized them by dominating the Milwaukee Brewers.

It is a fairly simple concept.

The bat manufacturer is able to tailor the bat to each player, moving the thick part of the barrel to where it is most likely for the batter to hit the ball.

Many thought they would be outlawed fairly quickly, but it is perfectly legal within the sport's rules. They are also not exactly as impactful as the explosion by the Yankees made it seem.

New York star Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a perfect example. He was 5-for-12 at the plate with three home runs over the first three games of the year. Since the drama of the torpedo bat, he has posted a .100/.163/.225 slash line with just one home run.

It is clear that it is just a new strategy rather than the "cheating" that was suggested at first.

Dubon could be a huge beneficiary, though.

It would be hard for his season to be going much worse at the plate, at least.

He has never been known as a slugger, but his .059/.111/.118 slash line so far is far below even his threshold. His career OPS+ is 85, but this year it is down to -34.

His struggles date back to this spring where he posted a .143/.231/.200 line with a bigger sample size.

The 30-year-old is a valuable piece on defense, but he will need to turn things around at the plate if he wants to keep getting chances. At a certain point, Houston will have to start looking for different options with younger players.

Still, Dubon does still bring something to the table.

It would be much more beneficial for the Astros to keep him around.

In the eight games that he has appeared in, he has played six different positions. The only spot he hasn't seen yet is shortstop.

That type of versatility is hard to come by and is one of the reasons why they are hoping the switch to the torpedo bat and breath some life into his offense.