Astros: Reports are that Derek Fisher is getting called up

The Astros are calling up Derek Fisher who is having a breakout season at Triple-A.

“Derek Fisher, this is A.J. Hinch, can you get to Houston before the first pitch at 7:10 pm central?” While it probably wasn’t Hinch calling, did this call get made? Is one of the Astros top hitting prospects on the way up? That’s what the rumors are saying right now.

If this is the case, this could mean that Josh Reddick is going on the 7-day concussion DL. Reddick hurt himself when he ran face-first into the right field wall on Monday. The Astros reportedly sent him home after he was removed from the game.

Even if it’s not a concussion, but he’s not quite right, they needed some offensive help. After losing six of the past eight games, they don’t want to carry a hitter who’s not ready to return. Even if it’s not Reddick going down, it is now confirmed that Fisher is coming up.

No longer a rumor!

Brian McTaggart, Mark Berman, and Jake Kaplan have confirmed Jason Bristol’s previous report. Derek Fisher will make his debut tonight most likely. As Jeremy Booth tweeted, he is not coming up to sit. He will play. Fisher has mostly played centerfield, so it will be interesting to see what they do with George Springer.

Fisher has played 40 games in center, 11 games in left, and 7 in right field. My guess is that they will move Springer to right and have Fisher play center field. After watching him play with the Hooks, he is a great defensive outfielder. It looks easy. Nori Aoki and Carlos Beltran will not play right field. Fisher doesn’t have the strongest arms so that left field could be his thing.

More on Fisher.

Fisher has become a big trade piece for the Houston Astros with a Triple-A slash line of .335/ .401/ .608/ 1.010 with 16 homers and 45 RBIs. He had also stolen 13 bases and thrown out ten times trying to steal. Fisher is the 4th top Astros prospect according to MLB Pipeline. They rank him as a 55-grade power hitter with 60-grade speed.

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If he is only replacing Reddick on the 7-day concussion DL, his time could be short. Outside of Aoki, there is not much wiggle room with outfielders. Jeff Luhnow hinted this promotion yesterday by saying he expects Fisher to contribute this year.

While he may not be at the Springer level of outfield prospect, Fisher should do something he can’t. Springer has not figured out how to use his speed to steal bases. Fisher is a speed demon with power. They will probably hit him in the bottom three spots, but hitting second is a possibility.

The next question is how to get Fisher on the 40-man roster? Probably put Brady Rodgers on the 60-day DL. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery. No official corresponding move has been made yet.

Next: Astros Countdown: Top Five Risky Trade Ideas

Fisher could add a new dimension to this team and I wish him luck. With the trade deadline approaching, I didn’t think they would diminish his trade value by exposing him to MLB pitchers. I am glad to be wrong. This week’s Talking Stros will be fun!

***Stats from Baseball-Reference and MLB Pipeline***