Astros just lost a lefty bat they stumbled across after Opening Day roster snub

The Houston Astros spent most of the offseason desperately searching for a low-cost left-handed bat for the outfield. Prospect Zach Cole proved during spring training that there were too many holes in his game to be viable. Joey Loperfido did just enough to be in consideration for an Opening Day roster spot, despite being outplayed by Taylor Trammell.

Ultimately, it was Loperfido who won out, thanks in large part to his status as a former top prospect for the Astros, and partly because he was the slightly younger option. With that, Trammell was sent to Sugar Land to begin the season.

Fortunately for Trammell, Jake Meyers' seemingly annual IL stint came early, giving the 28-year-old a slightly delayed chance to attempt to prove his worth to the Astros on the big league roster. So far, he's delivered.

Trammell only had 31 plate appearances, so it was too soon to etch anything in stone, but his .321/.387/.429 line was impressive. Unfortunately, the early success will be cut short as the Astros placed Trammell on the 10-day IL with a left groin strain.

More injuries for the Astros

Recalling Daniel Johnson was the corresponding move, and the timing could not have been worse for Trammell. It was early, but there was reason to believe that Trammell was in the process of turning the corner offensively.

Trammell was posting an average exit velocity of 91.7 miles per hour. That helped him to a 47.4 hard-hit rate. He was swinging hard, with an average bat speed of 73.8 miles per hour, and he did a good job managing the strike zone with an above-average 26.5% chase rate.

The idea was that if he could keep swinging hard at good pitches and putting the ball in play with good exit velocities, he would continue to produce and could prove that it had finally clicked for him.

A groin strain can be a difficult injury, considering recovery isn't linear. It's certainly possible that this is a mild strain and Trammell can return to the Astros roster once the 10-day designation expires. These injuries can linger, though, and there is a possibility that Trammell misses several weeks, thwarting the early success he had in Jake Meyers' absence.

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