Astros finally jettison one-hit wonder after stretch too ugly to ignore

The Houston Astros have a number of questions they need to answer this offseason. Assembling a competent and deep rotation and bullpen is near the top of the list, and then there is the matter of how to balance the lineup better after some widely expected non-tenders this offseason. However, one thing that should have never been in question is the future of Chas McCormick.

In 2023, McCormick was a revelation with a .273/.353/.489 line, and it looked like he was going to be a big part of Houston's future. Unfortunately, a series of injuries and down years (to put it mildly) saw the shine wear off, and for the past calendar year, Astros fans quickly began wondering when the team would finally cut bait and move on from him.

Well, that day has finally come. According to reports on Tuesday, it sounds like the inevitable came to be, and the Astros outrighted McCormick off the 40-man roster.

Astros mercifully end Chas McCormick's time with the team after latest roster move

Objectively, the Astros need the 40-man room if they are going to make any moves this offseason. While there are a number of potential candidates to kick out, McCormick made nearly $3 million last year and was due a raise in arbitration in 2026. Any bench player would be on the chopping block just with those facts alone.

Unfortunately, McCormick did not help his case the last couple of seasons in posting a combined -1.6 rWAR, including a .211/.273/.301 line from 2024 through 2025. The Astros were an actively better team when he was not playing, but they still kept running him out there like a "definition of insanity" joke punchline. McCormick may have thought he could turn things around, but the results told a very different tale.

Again, this is just the nature of the game. McCormick had a nice start to his career and had some big moments, only to struggle to stay healthy and find his way again. Baseball is a hard game, and the margin of error is very small. Unfortunately, McCormick just didn't cut it anymore, and quite frankly, this move was a long time coming. At least no one can say Houston didn't give him plenty of chances.