Astros: The end may be near for Tyler White in Houston

Although it’s a relatively small sample size, Astros’ Tyler White isn’t having a good season. In 33 ABs, he is hitting .212, with 13 Ks and no runs or HRs.

In the American League, teams have the luxury of using a designated hitter to bat in the place of their pitcher. This player’s sole duty in the line-up is to get hits and drive in runs, something Astros‘ DH White is not doing.

White has always been a streaky player. When he is on, he is as good as anyone. In the first week of 2016, in his rookie season, he was named A.L. Player of the Week after hitting .556 with three homers and nine RBI’s.

In 2018, he played so well, he became the Astros primary DH. In August he hit .325 and had eight home runs. The rest of the season he struggled, hitting .226 with only one homer and his bad play continued into the playoffs, striking out seven times in 13 at-bats.

With White, Jake Marisnick, and Tony Kemp out of options coming into this season, the Astros opted to go with 13 position players. The team had plenty of days off in April, but with a grueling schedule ahead, the Astros might need that 13th pitcher, and have to part ways with one of those three.

Marisnick is clearly outplaying the other two and has secured his spot on the roster. He is an elite defender and has made improvements on the offensive side. Not having a good season himself, Kemp is batting under .200, far from what is expected of him.

However, at the end of the day, Tyler White’s job as a designated hitter is to get ” hits”, and he is just not getting it done. With that said, if the Astros do decide to cut one of these players loose, I believe White is Shark Bait.