Houston Astros Star Outfielder Nearing Return From Injury

With another rehab game on the schedule Tuesday for an injured star outfielder, the Houston Astros look to be getting closer to full strength.

Oct 19, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Chas McCormick (20) | Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros are entering the most important stretch of their season right now.

After putting themselves in a major hole with their disastrous start, they are home for 10 games that will really determine if they are going to come out of this rut, or if they're going to fade away and struggle for the majority of the year.

While it's still early, seven contests against the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels should yield results from the Astros that are reminiscent of a franchise who's made seven straight ALCS appearances, and not the poor ballclub that has been on display so far.

They got off to a great start Monday after one of their struggling stars had a monster game.

Maybe that is the turning point in his season as he hopes to come out of his early slump and become the elite hitter that he's been throughout his career.

Houston is also hoping they get the same type of player they saw last season when Chas McCormick was a breakout star.

He set career marks with his .273/.353/.489 slash line and 22 homers, 70 RBI, and 131 OPS+.

The 29-year-old was seen as someone who was the outfielder of the future to pair alongside Kyle Tucker as they searched for players they could rotate at other spots.

But, things haven't quite gone as expected this year as he slashed just .236/.325/.278 with no homers and eight RBI in 21 games before being placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring issue.

There's always concern that a breakout season so late in someone's career could be a flash in the pan, but the Astros are hoping that he'll be able to find himself at the plate once he comes back after being able to work on some things during his rehab assignment in the minors.

McCormick is scheduled for his second game with their Double-A affiliate on Tuesday, signaling that he could be close to returning.

Houston would certainly welcome his return as that would mean their team is getting as close to full strength as possible after battling injuries throughout the early portion of the year.