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Astros Considering Time In Center Field For Cam Smith

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The Astros are considering some time in center field for Cam Smith, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Rome points out that nothing is imminent and that the club isn’t planning on making Smith an everyday center fielder. It’s more about adding some extra versatility, giving the club the ability to perhaps put someone like Zach Dezenzo in right from time to time.

The club has already been aggressive with Smith. A third base prospect, the Astros moved him to right field during spring training since they have Isaac Paredes at the hot corner. Smith performed well enough to crack the Opening Day roster as the everyday right fielder, despite having almost no experience there. He was also just short on professional experience in general. He was only just drafted by the Cubs last summer before getting into 32 minor league games in the second half of 2024. Only five of those were at the Double-A level and none at Triple-A. He and Paredes both came to the Astros in the offseason trade that sent Kyle Tucker to the Cubs.

All things considered, Smith has taken well to all the aggression. He has a .226/.304/.403 line to start his big league career. His 29% strikeout rate is on the high side but he has three home runs, helping him to a 109 wRC+. It’s hard to read much into a small sample of glovework but both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average consider Smith to be above par in the field so far.

The Astros are clearly happy with the results and feel confident enough in his abilities that they are given him yet another test. Per Rome, they have started getting him some center field reps in pre-game workouts. “When you break down what makes a good center fielder, you’re going to see reactions, routes, speed and an arm. So far, he’s shown the ability to do all those things,” outfield coach Jason Bell tells Rome. “I know it’s early, but from the early signs, you can see the chance that he would have to do that if that was a possibility.”

Rome mentions that this could be a way to add some extra offense on occasion. Houston’s regular center fielder is Jake Meyers, who is a strong defender but has a career batting line of .230/.293/.368 in 1,250 plate appearances, which translates to an 87 wRC+.

Occasionally moving Smith over to center would allow the Astros to bench Meyers and get a different bat into the lineup. Rome mentions Dezenzo as one such possibility. He has mostly played first base in the big leagues but has also seen some brief time at second, third and in the outfield corners. His .238/.282/.363 batting line isn’t better than Meyers’ but he’s only received 85 big league plate appearances. Over 2023 and 2024, he stepped to the plate 636 times in the minors with a .303/.384/.517 line and 139 wRC+.

Getting Dezenzo into the outfield for Meyers could perhaps add a bit more offense but would be a notable gamble defensively. The club is using former second baseman Jose Altuve in left field, so an outfield alignment of Altuve/Smith/Dezenzo would effectively involve three converted infielders. Meyers, on the other hand, has tallied 22 Defensive Runs Saved and 38 Outs Above Average in his career. Having two of those infielders out there with an excellent defender like Meyers is already a bit of a gamble but this new consideration would be pushing that even farther.

It’s a plan that is all still experimental and Rome notes it’s entirely possible Smith never plays in center, but it’s notable that the club is tinkering as guys like Christian Walker, Yainer Diaz and Yordan Alvarez are all scuffling at the plate.

Luis Arraez To Be Placed On Concussion IL

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April 21: Arraez is in concussion protocol and will go on the 7-day concussion IL, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Infielder Mason McCoy will be recalled as the corresponding move, per Acee.

April 20, 10:11PM: In what appears to be great news, Arraez returned to the Padres clubhouse postgame and was happily chatting with teammates, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  Arraez will stay in Houston overnight for observation, but could rejoin the team in Detroit as early as tomorrow.

7:23PM: During an in-game interview with ESPN’s Buster Olney, Padres manager Mike Shildt said initial concerns were about Arraez’s neck and jaw.  For the latter, Shildt said Arraez “has a little bit of a cut on the jaw, [we’re] worried about the jaw, stability of that.”  (Hat tip to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome)

6:53PM: Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez suffered an apparent head or neck injury after a big collision with Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubon in tonight’s game.  Arraez was thrown out at first base while trying to bunt for a base hit, and ran headfirst into Dubon’s shoulder while the second baseman was covering the bag.  Arraez was down on the field and almost motionless for several minutes, and had to be carted off once his head and neck area was stabilized by a brace.  He was conscious, and gave a thumbs up while being removed from the field.

The Padres provided an update on their X account, saying that Arraez was “currently stable, conscious, responsive, and able to move his extremities.”  The infielder is receiving further examination and treatment at a Houston hospital.

We’ll undoubtedly get more updates over the course of the evening, but at the very least, it seems like Arraez is heading to the injured list (either the normal 10-day IL or the seven-day IL for concussion-related issues).  Given how scary the incident looked, one can only hope that Arraez avoided any kind of serious injury to his neck or head that would impact his day-to-day-life, to say nothing of his baseball career.

Arraez entered tonight’s action hitting a solid .287/.330/.425 over his first 95 plate appearances of the 2025 season, again acting as San Diego’s everyday first baseman.  The extreme contact hitter has been baseball’s toughest batter to strike out essentially since he made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2019, though Arraez’s contact rarely translates into any sort of power.  The old-school approach has undoubtedly been productive, as Arraez is the only player in the history of the sport to win three straight batting titles with three different teams — he won the AL batting crown with the Twins in 2022, with the Marlins in 2023, and then mostly with the Padres in 2024 after Miami dealt him to San Diego 33 games into last season.

This throwback nature has made Arraez a fan favorite, and his contributions both on the field and within the Padres’ clubhouse were viewed as a catalyst for San Diego’s success in 2024.  Since Arraez will surely have to miss some time in the wake of tonight’s collision, he’ll represent yet another key Padres player on the injured list.  The Friars are already trying to get by without Yu Darvish, Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, and others, yet San Diego still took a league-best 15-6 record into tonight’s game in Houston.

Astros Activate Forrest Whitley From Injured List

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The Astros announced earlier today that they’ve activated right-hander Forrest Whitley from the injured list. Righty Nick Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

The move sets up what could be the first extended shot in the majors of Whitley’s career. Selected 17th overall by the Astros all the way back in 2016, Whitley was a consensus top-10 prospect in the entire sport in the late 2010s and considered by many to be the best up-and-coming young pitcher in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, things came off the rails somewhat for the righty from there. He was suspended for 50 games for violating MiLB’s drug policy prior to the 2018 season, and that suspension, shoulder issues, the canceled minor league season in 2020, and Tommy John surgery led to Whitley throwing just 66 innings in minor league games over a four-year period.

When he finally made his way back onto the mound in 2022, the results were not good. Whitley struggled to a 6.53 ERA in 40 innings spread across three levels of the minors, including a 7.09 ERA at Triple-A. He struggled again the following year with a 5.70 ERA in 30 innings before being sidelined by a lat strain but stuck around to make his big league debut last year. He threw just three innings in the majors last year but did not surrender a run and also posted an excellent 1.89 ERA with a 31.9% strikeout rate in 32 appearances at Triple-A last year after moving to the bullpen.

A bone bruise in Whitley’s left knee prevented him from making the Astros’ roster out of camp this year, but the issue didn’t keep him sidelined for long. Since Whitley is out of options, he had to either be designated for assignment or added to the Astros’ big league roster once he was ready to be activated from the injured list. Houston chose to bring him back up to the majors, and he’s now set to join a bullpen that has virtually no certainty outside of closer Josh Hader and top setup man Bryan Abreu. Bryan King has looked good as another potential high leverage arm from the left side to complement Hader, but there’s little in Whitley’s way to stop him from becoming the club’s second high leverage arm from the right side after this offseason’s Ryan Pressly trade vacated the role.

With that being said, the righty will need to show better control than he did during his latest stint at Triple-A. While Whitley struck out a solid 26.3% of his opponents during his latest rehab assignment, he walked an unplayable 21.1% of batters as well. Fortunately, that was across a sample of just four appearances. It’s not at all difficult to imagine a player with Whitley’s talent and prospect pedigree finally being able to put things together in the majors this year, particularly now that he’s moved to the bullpen full-time in a move that should help to minimize injury risk.

Making room for Whitley on the Astros’ active roster is the departure of Hernandez, who will head to Triple-A Sugar Land and wait for his next opportunity. Hernandez departs the roster without having made an appearance this year, though he has a 9.00 ERA in seven appearances with the Astros and Padres in his career since debuting with San Diego back in 2023. The 28-year-old’s career 3.34 ERA at Triple-A suggests there’s reason for optimism he could be effective in the majors if offered the opportunity, but he doesn’t appear ticketed for an extended look in the majors any time soon given the current construction of Houston’s bullpen.

Tommy Helms Passes Away

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Former NL Rookie of the Year and longtime big leaguer Tommy Helms passed away today at age 83.  Helms played in 14 seasons with the Reds, Astros, Pirates, and Red Sox from 1964-77, and he managed the Reds on an interim basis over 64 games during the 1988-89 seasons.

Helms broke into the Show with two games with Cincinnati during the 1964 season, and 21 more games in 1965.  Mostly a shortstop in the minors, Helms was blocked at the position by Reds shortstop Leo Cardenas, and it took Helms a couple of years to settle into the second base position since the Reds were trying to find an ideal spot to place Pete Rose around the diamond.  Helms ended up as the starting third baseman in 1966, and was an immediate success, hitting .284/.315/.380 over 578 plate appearances and winning the NL ROY honors.  He then slid over to second base the next year when Rose was moved to left field, and Helms proceeded to hold down the keystone in Cincinnati from 1967-71.

That five-year stretch saw Helms make two All-Star teams, and win two Gold Gloves for his work at second base.  However, the Reds dealt Helms to the Astros in November 1971 as part of an eight-player blockbuster that stands out as one of the most important trades in Cincinnati baseball history.  The Reds’ end of the trade included future starting center fielder Cesar Geronimo, rotation stalwart Jack Billingham, and (most prominently) future Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan, arguably the best second baseman in baseball history.

Helms continued to post solid offensive and defensive numbers over his next three seasons in Houston, before his production fell off in 1975.  He played in a part-time capacity with the Pirates and Red Sox in 1976-77 to wrap up his playing career.  Over 1435 games and 5337 plate appearances, Helms hit .269/.300/.342 with 34 home runs and 414 runs scored.

After retiring from the field, Helms returned to Cincinnati as a coach in 1983 as an infield instructor and first base coach.  He remained on the staff under three different Reds managers from 1983-89, and he twice became the interim manager due to the controversies involving his old teammate Rose, then the Reds skipper.  Helms took over the dugout when Rose was suspended 30 games for shoving an umpire in 1988, and again became the interim manager when Rose accepted his lifetime ban from baseball in 1989.  Helms moved on from the Reds following that season to manage in the Cubs’ farm system for a year, and he emerged to manage one final time in the independent Atlantic League in 2000-01.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Helms’ family (including his nephew Wes), friends, and many fans.

Astros Notes: Arrighetti, Gusto, Rodgers

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“A really, really freak accident” is now Spencer Arrighetti described the batting-practice incident that resulted in a broken right thumb for the Astros pitcher.  Last Monday, Arrighetti was in the outfield playing catch while the Mariners were taking BP, and a line drive from the batter’s box struck the right-hander before Arrighetti could properly react.  As the pitcher told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, he instinctively covered his head with his hands after someone called out about the incoming line drive, only for the ball to hit Arrighetti’s thumb.

While a broken thumb is still a tough outcome, Arrighetti said “the road back is really clear-cut….We’re going to continually image it over the course of the next few weeks, and as soon as we feel it’s in a place where I’m ready to throw the ball, I’ll throw the ball again.”  Houston general manager Dana Brown said on Friday that the team believes Arrighetti can be back in action in around six weeks’ time, if all goes well with the recovery process.

With Arrighetti sidelined, Ryan Gusto received the opportunity for his first MLB start, though things didn’t exactly go swimmingly for Gusto in Houston’s 4-1 loss to the Angels yesterday.  Gusto allowed three earned runs over his four innings (72 pitches) of work, with two of those runs coming early when Gusto surrendered hits to his first three batters of the game.

The Astros have an off-day on Thursday, so the team technically doesn’t need a fifth starter again until April 22 if the other four starters are kept on their regular rest schedule.  This gives the Astros some time to determine if Gusto will get another start, or if they could return him to bullpen action and use another starter in his stead.  As noted by the Houston Chronicle’s Sam Warren, Brown said on Friday that Triple-A starter Colton Gordon could be called up (in what would be Gordon’s big league debut) to start if the club ultimately decides to keep Gusto in a relief role.

Gusto also made his MLB debut earlier this season, and he posted a 1.13 ERA over his first eight innings and four appearances out of Houston’s pen.  While the Astros don’t want to close the door on Gusto’s potential as a starter in the near term, there is obvious appeal in deploying him as a quality multi-inning reliever.  The fact that Arrighetti will miss at least the next six weeks does allow the Astros some flexibility in figuring how exactly they’ll address the fifth starter spot, as there’s enough time for Gusto to start games and then get moved back into a long relief or swingman role.

Brendan Rodgers hasn’t played in either of the Astros’ last two games due to some left hip soreness, manager Joe Espada told Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle and other reporters.  The injury appears to be pretty minor, as Rodgers felt well enough to take some grounders before Saturday’s game.  Rodgers is off to a respectable start (.250/.351/.313) over his first 37 plate appearances in a Houston uniform, as he went from minor league signing to starting second baseman due to the Astros’ decision to use Jose Altuve primarily as a left fielder.

Astros Acquire Patrick Halligan As PTBNL In Rafael Montero Trade

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The Astros traded right-hander Rafael Montero and $7.7MM to the Braves earlier this week for a player to be named later or cash. The Astros announced today that the PTBNL in that deal is minor league righty Patrick Halligan.

Halligan, 25, was selected by the Royals in the 13th round of the draft back in 2021. He made the occasional start but mostly worked in relief. Over 2021 and 2022, he tossed 85 2/3 innings in the minors with a 5.36 earned run average and was released prior to the 2023 season.

Atlanta signed him to a minor league deal and the change of scenery seemed to helped him. He has since logged 123 1/3 innings with a 3.72 ERA. His 10.6% walk rate is a bit high but he has also struck out 27.6% of batters faced. Last year, he logged 50 2/3 innings, mostly at Double-A but also with some Triple-A work. For the whole year, he had a 3.02 ERA, 31.6% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate. Last month, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs listed the top prospects in Atlanta’s system and gave Halligan an honorable mention, highlighting his splitter as his key to success.

With the Montero deal, the Astros were probably happy just to shed a few million bucks. His contract had quickly gone underwater and they had been trying to trade him for quite a while. On top of saving roughly $3MM, they will take a flier on Halligan and see if he can work his way into their big league bullpen.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Latest On Astros’ Rotation Plans

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The Astros lost Spencer Arrighetti to the injured list this week, as the righty suffered a broken thumb on a fluke injury when he was struck by a ball during batting practice. Manager Joe Espada said this afternoon that Arrighetti will avoid surgery but will remain in a cast for at least two weeks (relayed by Chandler Rome of The Athletic). He’ll be sent for imaging at that point.

Arrighetti is clearly going to be shelved beyond the 15-day minimum. The Astros need to add someone to the rotation behind Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco. It seems that rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto is going to get the first opportunity. The Astros list Gusto as the probable starter for their game against the Angels on Saturday.

Assuming plans don’t change within the next two days, Gusto will be making his first big league start. He was lined up to start the final game of the regular season in 2024. Houston had already clinched a playoff spot and called up Gusto to rest their playoff starters. That game was canceled because of rain, which delayed the 26-year-old’s big league debut by six months.

Gusto pitched well enough in Spring Training to break camp, albeit in a relief role. He has tossed eight innings over four appearances, allowing only one run with nine strikeouts and two walks. Gusto worked 2-3 innings in each of his first three outings. He tossed one inning and 15 pitches in yesterday’s extra-inning win in Seattle. He’ll get three days rest before his first start. Gusto started 26 of 29 appearances in Triple-A last season. He worked to a solid 3.70 earned run average with a 22.6% strikeout rate through 148 1/3 innings in the Pacific Coast League.

Houston has off days in each of the next three Thursdays. That allows them to operate without a fifth starter following Gusto’s appearance on Saturday until their series against the Blue Jays between April 21-23. Lance McCullers Jr. figures to return before Arrighetti does. He has made a pair of minor league rehab starts, tossing 50 pitches in an outing for Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday. McCullers has not pitched in an MLB game since the 2022 World Series because of multiple arm injuries, so the Astros will surely proceed with caution as they build the righty back.

Braves Acquire Rafael Montero From Astros

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April 9: Houston is covering $7.7MM of Montero’s remaining salary, Charles Odum of the Associated Press reports. That’s on top of the $804K they’ve already paid him this year. In total, the Astros are paying about $8.5MM of Montero’s $11.5MM salary, leaving Atlanta on the hook for just a hair under $3MM. Montero joined the team today, per a club announcement, with Thompson optioned to open an active roster spot.

April 8: The Astros announced a trade sending reliever Rafael Montero and an undisclosed amount of cash to the Braves for a player to be named later. Houston recalled lefty reliever Bennett Sousa to take the vacated bullpen spot. Atlanta has not announced any corresponding moves. They had an opening on their 40-man roster after waiving Chadwick Tromp and do not need to make an active roster transaction until Montero reports to the team.

Montero, 34, is in the final season of a three-year free agent deal. He’s playing on an $11.5MM salary. The Astros are surely paying down the majority of that contract, though specifics on the cash have not been reported. Owner Jim Crane struck early in the 2022-23 offseason to re-sign Montero on a $34.5MM investment. That was in between the dismissal of former general manager James Click and the hiring of current GM Dana Brown. It did not work out.

The veteran right-hander was rocked for a 5.08 earned run average over 67 1/3 innings in the first season. He posted a 4.70 ERA while walking nearly as many hitters as he struck out last year. The Astros designated him for assignment around the trade deadline. That seemed like it would officially end his tenure in the organization. Montero had more than enough service time to elect free agency while collecting the rest of his contract.

Montero instead accepted an assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers. He tossed 16 1/3 frames of four-run ball there to finish the season. Houston didn’t call him up last season but brought him back to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Montero allowed six runs (five earned) with 10 strikeouts and seven walks across 8 2/3 innings to earn his way back onto the MLB roster. He has made three regular season appearances, working four frames of two-run ball with five punchouts.

The 11-year big league veteran sits in the 95-96 MPH range with his four-seam fastball. He tweaked his pitch mix this year, according to Statcast. Montero added a mid-80s splitter while scrapping his low-90s changeup. That’s now his top offspeed pitch against lefty hitters. It’s too early to glean much from the results, but opponents have whiffed on five of 12 swings against it.

Atlanta evaluators were intrigued enough by Montero’s form to plug him into the middle innings. Daysbel Hernández and long man Zach Thompson each have options remaining. Lefty José Suarez is out of options but has a pedestrian 5:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio through his first four appearances. Montero figures to displace someone from that group — most likely Thompson — once he joins the team.

It’s purely a salary dump for Houston. They were never going to be able to shed the majority of Montero’s contract. Getting out from under even a small portion of the deal should give them more flexibility for deadline acquisitions. They’re within a few million dollars of the $241MM luxury tax threshold, which they seem disinclined to surpass. Whatever portion of Montero’s salary that the Braves assume will come off the Astros’ tax bill.

Image courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images.

Octavio Dotel Dies In Roof Collapse Tragedy

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Former major leaguer Octavio Dotel has died in a tragic accident, Major League Baseball confirmed. The news was first reported by multiple outlets in the Dominican Republic, including Diario Libre. The roof of the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday night, at least 98 people have lost their lives while nearly 200 more were injured, according to The Associated Press. Dotel was 51 years old.

Exact details of the tragic situation are difficult to pin down, but it appears hundreds of people were in the venue for a concert when the collapse happened. Dozens of people have been pulled out alive but many have died and the figures are likely to change. Dotel was reportedly trapped for about 11 hours before being rescued and initially survived, but was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

Dotel was well known to baseball fans because he pitched in the majors for over a decade and bounced around to various teams. He made his major league debut with the Mets in 1999, working in a swing role. He was traded to the Astros ahead of the 2000 season and continued to work both out of the rotation and the bullpen for a while.

He eventually moved into a primary relief role and had more success. Though his earned run average was over 5.00 in both 1999 and 2000, he posted a 2.66 ERA in 2001. He tossed 105 innings over 61 appearances, only four of those being starts.

He continued working as a solid reliever for years after that, bouncing to the Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Tigers. He finished his career with a 3.78 ERA in 758 games. He recorded 109 saves and 127 holds. He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 2011. He was a part of a combined no-hitter with the Astros in 2003. He retired in 2014.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our deepest condolences to Dotel’s family, friends and fans, as well as the hundreds of others who have been impacted by this awful event.

Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images

Spencer Arrighetti Sustains Right Thumb Fracture

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April 8: Right-hander Luis Contreras will be recalled to take Arrighetti’s spot on the active roster for the time being, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2. Contreras was just optioned yesterday morning, but he can return in under the 15-day minimum for optioned pitchers since he’s a direct replacement for an injured player. Contreras will add some length to the ’pen in the short term but won’t replace Arrighetti in the rotation. The moves are now official, per Rome.

April 7: The Astros announced that Spencer Arrighetti suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand this afternoon. Manager Joe Espada told reporters earlier this evening that the righty was going for testing after a fluke injury (relayed by Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Arrighetti was playing catch in the outfield before tonight’s game in Seattle. A Mariner hitter taking batting practice hit a line drive that struck him in the hand.

It’s not clear for how long the injury will sideline the second-year pitcher. A thumb fracture on a pitcher’s throwing hand is obviously problematic. Arrighetti will probably land on the 15-day injured list tomorrow. Houston will go with Hayden Wesneski, Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown for the Seattle series. They’re off on Thursday. Arrighetti would have lined up for Friday’s series opener against the Angels.

The off day theoretically allows them to turn to Ronel Blanco, who was knocked out after 62 pitches in yesterday’s start in Minnesota, to pitch on regular rest on Friday. That could delay their need for a fifth starter until early next week. Houston doesn’t have any experienced rotation depth. Left-hander Colton Gordon, who has yet to make his MLB debut, is the only healthy starter on the 40-man roster who is pitching in Triple-A. Rookie righty Ryan Gusto is working in 2-3 innings stints out of the big league bullpen. He started 26 Triple-A contests last year and could be an option to stretch out for rotation work.

Lance McCullers Jr. might not be far off his first big league appearance in three years. The veteran righty began the season on the injured list as he works back from multiple arm surgeries. He has made a pair of minor league rehab starts. McCullers tossed 50 pitches in an outing for Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday. He might be back within the next couple weeks, so the Astros may only need a start or two from their younger arms.

Arrighetti tossed six innings of one-run ball against the Mets in his season debut. Minnesota tagged him for five runs on 3 2/3 frames on Saturday. He’s coming off a 4.53 ERA over 145 innings during his rookie year. There was more reason for optimism than that pedestrian season-long figure might suggest. Arrighetti carried a near-6.00 ERA into the All-Star Break but allowed only 3.18 earned runs per nine over his final 65 innings. He struck out nearly 30% of opposing hitters in the second half.

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