Astros might have to make tough personnel decision once Carlos Correa returns

On too many nights, it seems the Astros offense is essentially carried by three players: Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes. The rest of the lineup has been incredibly inconsistent at best.

The potential return of Carlos Correa could add another legitimate bat to the lineup, lengthening the lineup and giving the offense a boost down the stretch. The question of how to juggle 5 infielders, one the Astros embraced doing at the beginning of the season but haven't had to deal with since may 6, will return in the bright lights of a division race.

The answer to that question may be very different than it was in April. It very well may be putting Christian Walker on the bench.

Back in April, when Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker were "sharing time", Walker was hot and Paredes was still ramping hmself up from a torn hamstring the year before. April may as well be a lifetime ago now.

Today, Paredes is one of the three most important and most productive bats in the lineup.

In August, Walker did his best Martin Maldonado impersonation.

Walker's production has taken a serious dip since May 1. He entered play May 1 batting .293 with a .366 OBP and .916 OPS.

In May, Walker hit .200 with a .276 OBP and .743 OPS.

In June, Walker hit .223 with a .286 OBP and .674 OPS.

In July, he hit .208 with a .305 OBP and .694 OPS.

In August, Walker bottomed out, hitting .202 with a .276 OBP and a very Maldy-esque .595 OPS.

16 of Walker's 24 HR came in April and May.

You don't need a bar graph to see those numbers have plummeted straight to the bottom of the ocean. As the Astros try to make a late charge in these final 22 games as they race to the finish trying to win the AL West, they have been carrying Walker like an anchor. Houston has been doing it's best to keep the boat afloat despite him, not because of him.

To make matters worse, Walker isn't providing the elite defense he used to either. Walker is worth 1 Defensive Run Saved (DRS) this season. He with 2 Outs Above Average (OAA). Maybe there is some grace if he is paying elite level defense, but it appears those days are behind him as well.

Correa, who was batting .279 with a .369 OBP and .787 OPS at the time of his injury, would be a huge improvement in the lineup over Walker. There is really no other way around it.

Pena and Paredes are two of their top 3 bats, they won't be sitting. Jose Altuve is a franchise icon, Altuve also hit .308 in August with a .373 OBP and .812 OPS. While his season long numbers are well below the Altuve standard, Altuve has found the bat recently and it would make no sense to sit the hotter bat (not to mention risk the blowback).

That leaves Walker as the odd man out. While benching him down the stretch could impact his trade value in the offseason, it's not like teams wouldn't be able to see his numbers if he still played. They will have to eat a chunk of money to move him next season no matter what (presuming there is a season. In fact, a shortened season would have the Astros eating only the prorated portion depending on how much of the season is played.)

It won't be easy to enact that decision, but it may be the correct one.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow