The Astros announced four roster moves today, including the somewhat surprising news that outfielder Jake Meyers has been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. Outfielder Joey Loperfido has also been optioned to Sugar Land, while Houston has called up Zach Dezenzo from Triple-A and activated LaMonte Wade Jr. from the 10-day injured list.
This marks the first time since 2022 that Meyers has been in the minors for anything beyond a rehab assignment. Meyers has less than five years of MLB service time and thus can’t refuse a minor league assignment, and it could be that the outfielder is open to the stint in Sugar Land as a way of getting a difficult season on track.
Meyers has always been known more for his glove than his bat over his six seasons with the Astros, and while his .292/.354/.373 slash line over 381 plate appearances in 2025 was a nice step forward, Meyers’ .353 BABIP cast some doubt on the reality of that breakout. The flip side of a .240 BABIP this year could explain some of Meyers’ struggles, but his .206/.264/.316 slash in 148 translate to just a 62 wRC+, which would be a career worst for the 25-year-old.
If the offensive struggles weren’t enough, Meyers’ glovework has also declined by his high standards, as he has a modest +1 Defensive Runs Saved and +2 Outs Above Average over 333 innings in center field. Meyers missed close to six weeks in April and May with a Grade 2 oblique strain, and while the sample sizes are pretty small, he had a .704 OPS over 43 PA before the injury and just a .531 OPS in 105 PA once returning from the IL.
In the bigger picture, it is fair to wonder if Meyers will still be with the Astros beyond the trade deadline, or if he’s a non-tender candidate this coming offseason. He has one remaining year of arbitration control, and will be due some type of raise over his $3.55MM salary for 2026. The Astros already shopped Meyers this past winter in trade talks, but with his recent struggles likely torpedoing his trade value, Houston won’t get much of a return in trying to move Meyers before August 3.
With Meyers now in Triple-A, Taylor Trammell and Brice Matthews will form a center field platoon. Trammell has no track record of offensive success in the majors, but he is essentially having his own version of Meyers’ 2025 season, with a .371 BABIP contributing to Trammell’s 108 wRC+ over 112 PA. Matthews hasn’t hit at all over his two big league seasons but he been quite solid defensively in center field, as well as in left, second base, and a bit of time at third base.
Between the Trammell/Matthews platoon and Cam Smith as the everyday right fielder, left field remains a revolving door for the Astros. Yordan Alvarez has received only a modest amount of time in left as the Astros prefer to use the slugger as a DH to keep him healthy, so Wade and Dezenzo might now operate as an unofficial left field platoon. Wade was released from a minor league contract with the White Sox at the start of June and then signed Houston, playing his first four MLB games of the season with the Astros before a hamstring quickly sent him to the IL for just short of a month.
