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Houston Astros rookie Cam Smith has finally found his way to the bench. After adding Jesús Sanchez at the MLB trade deadline, the Astros beefed up their outfield in a major way, and as more injured players come off the IL, there's going to be fewer and fewer opportunities for find meaningful playing time for Smith going forward especially if he continues to not play well.
The Astros could option Smith back to the minor leagues in order to give him more reps. That would seem to be rather extreme, however, and the Minor League season will be coming to a close very soon anyways. With rosters expanding next month, the Astros could still keep Smith on the active roster, but in a much more suitable capacity.
But one thing the Astros may have to consider is leaving Smith off the postseason roster. Teams are limited to just 26 players once the playoffs begin, and oftentimes try to find extra room for relievers. Smith had a successful start to his rookie campaign, but the last few weeks his production has taken a nosedive.
After benching Cam Smith, Astros may have to consider leaving him off the playoff roster
Heading into the All-Star break, it appeared as though Smith had finally hit his stride. Some early-season scuffles elicited concern, but he put those struggles in the rearview mirror, and was hitting .277/.347/.418 with a 116 wRC+ at the midpoint of the season.
But after the Midsummer Classic, the wheels fell off. Since July 18, Smith is hitting just .149/.214/.191 and has a 14 wRC+. It's easy to see why Astros manager Joe Espada made the decision to sit Smith in favor of Sanchez, and at times, Mauricio Dubón and Chas McCormick.
It would seem that Smith has hit the proverbial "rookie wall". It's not uncommon, and considering the limited Minor League experience he had at the time of his promotion, it's almost expected. The Major League season is a grind, and the Astros have asked a lot of Smith during his first season in The Show.
When Jake Myers returns from the IL, the Astros will undoubtedly need to find a spot in the lineup, which will impact Smith's playing time even further. If Houston is fully healtyh heading into the MLB Postseason, it should be without their talented rookie on the roster.