Astros call up Kyle Tucker, Garrett Stubbs, Cionel Perez

The first wave of the Astros September call-ups is arriving today.

Three players will be joining the Astros today as the first wave of September call-ups. Outfielder Kyle Tucker, catcher Garrett Stubbs and pitcher Cionel Perez will be the first ones added to September’s expanded roster. More players will likely join them in the coming days.

Tucker’s promotion is no surprise, as we’ve known he would get called up today. Still, it’s been a long time coming for the team’s top prospect, who’s spent the entire season at Triple-A Round Rock. He’s posted a .266/.354/.555 line with 34 homers, 97 RBIs and 30 stolen bases this season.

Most fans will remember his putrid 2018 major league debut when he hit .141/.236/.203 in 28 games. But that’s just a small sample size of a 21-year-old’s first taste of the big leagues, so it by no means classifies him as a bust.

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Remember, Alex Bregman hit just .156/.236/.219 through his first 72 plate appearances, which is exactly the same number of plate appearances Tucker had last year. Bregman eventually found his footing and blossomed into one of the game’s premier players, so there’s still plenty of time for Tucker to hit his stride.

Stubbs, Perez Add Depth

Stubbs made his major league debut earlier this season and has played in nine games for the Astros, hitting .160/.222/.200. He probably won’t get much playing time down the stretch as long as Robinson Chirinos and Martin Maldonado are healthy, but he’s here in case he’s needed.

He hit .240/.332/.397 in 63 games for Round Rock, which is a far cry from his 2018 season when he hit .310/.382/.455. Stubbs also has a bit of experience at second base and in the outfield, so he can be used there in a pinch.

Perez is more likely to see game action thanks to the Astros injury woes on the pitching staff. With Collin McHugh joining Brad Peacock, Aaron Sanchez, Josh James and Ryan Pressly on the injured list, combined with Chris Devenski‘s implosion, Perez may be needed a few times in September.

He spent all of July and part of August on the injured list, returning to make one appearance for Round Rock last Thursday. He has a 5.36 ERA on the season in 47 innings for the Express and gave up 10 runs in eight innings for the Astros earlier this season.

More players will join the team when Round Rock’s season ends or when they’re eligible to return. Myles Straw, for example, can’t be recalled yet due to the 10-day rule, so he will rejoin the Astros in the coming days.