What Mauricio Dubon brings to the Astros in trade

The Astros traded catcher Michael Papierski to the Giants in return for the versatile Mauricio Dubon on Saturday.

New Houston Astros utility depth, Mauricio Dubon, can play multiple positions, including centerfield, second base shortstop and third base and is batting .239 with two home runs and eight RBI in 46 at-bats with the San Francisco Giants this season.

Michael Papierski was well liked and thought of highly as a receiver by many pitchers in the Astros organization on rehab assignments, and of course, he played college baseball with Alex Bregman at LSU.

With the Niko Goodrum being an offensive liability and the combination of Chas McCormick and Jose Siri struggling against left-handed pitching, Dubon could provide a viable option for rest or in case of injury.

The 27-year-old is a native of Honduras and was a 26th-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2013, before making his debut with Milwaukee in 2019.

In 19 at-bats against left handers in 2022, Dubon is batting .421 with two home runs and seven RBI.  His advanced stats are limited due to a small sample size, but they show a max exit velocity in the 32nd percentile and sprint speed in the 82nd percentile.

Papierski was in a log jam in Sugar Land with three catchers on the roster, along with Scott Manea and Korey Lee, so much so that only 11 of his 26 starts for the Space Cowboys in 2022 have been behind the plate.

On the season, Papierski is batting .211 with a homer and 15 RBI in 90 at-bats. He heads to Triple-A Sacramento, while highly sought out before by the Giants.

Dubon presents interesting options for the Astros moving forward. With no minor-league options left, he would appear bound for the Major League team and a corresponding roster move would need to be made.

A likely candidate to move is Goodrum, who has options left and is hitting .128 in 39 at-bats on the season, while starting five games at first base, four at second base and one as the designated hitter for the Astros this season.