Astros make J.D. Davis their choice for first base

J.D. Davis and Derek Fisher survive the final cuts before the Astros finalize the opening day roster.

Whether you agree or not, the Astros have made their final cuts. We already knew that Max Stassi made the roster to start the season. After today’s game, the Astros made a few more cuts rounding out the opening day roster.

The part-time left-fielder was always presumed to be Derek Fisher. There were some that wanted to add someone like Carlos Gonzalez or Jose Bautista. However, with Jake Marisnick and Marwin Gonzalez on the team, they didn’t need a full-time guy. Everyone roots for Tony Kemp, and he was rumored to have made a late push to win the job.

Fisher could be the next big outfielder for the Astros until Kyle Tucker arrives. The team didn’t really want to trade him this offseason, and they want to see what he can do with more playing time. It does not appear that he will be the everyday guy now. He will split time with Marisnick, Gonzalez, and Reddick when Springer plays right field.

A new face.

According to Brian McTaggart, Fisher indeed made the team. But wait, there’s more. A new name could steal some playing time away from Fisher. The other battle was for a more temporary position while Yuli Gurriel recovers and serves his five-game suspension. The winner would not be the everyday guy, but will backup Gonzalez at first base.

The battle was between A.J. Reed, Tyler White, and J.D. Davis, but Reed went down a week ago. That left White (plays first, second, and third) and Davis (plays first, third, and left field). Early this week, Jake Kaplan reported that A.J. Hinch said that neither had separated themselves. They were both great candidates for the role.

Maybe one of them would separate themselves.

That could have been what Hinch had hoped for to make his job easier. They both received a lot of playing time towards the end of the week, but Davis had a day Friday. Many people thought that Davis won the job after his first homer off Lance Lynn on Friday. Then he also followed up with another homer later that day.

According to McTaggart, Hinch said he couldn’t ignore what Davis has done offensively this spring. Outside of Tucker, no one approached the power that Davis showed. Davis batted .364 with five homers and nine RBIs. While he is still young, he showed a lot this spring. That’s why he made the opening day roster.

Next: Clearing up the Jose Bautista rumor

White and Kemp will be going down to Triple-A but will get their chance at some point this year. If Davis does not perform, he will be going back to Triple-A when Gurriel returns. However, he could force the Astros to keep him up if he goes all Cody Bellinger on them this season. One option could be sending Stassi down if he is struggling. Either way, this lineup is set, and I’m ready for opening day.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference****