Joe Espada's response suggests Astros are doomed to repeat the same mistake in 2025

The Houston Astros have a problem. Unfortunately, at this stage of the spring, it's going to be difficult to solve. The Astros outfield is, well, questionable at best. Trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs (while understandable) took Houston's most productive bat out of the lineup and left a giant void in the outfield.

Houston's internal options to replace Tucker were not great, and in a desperate attempt to make things work, the Astros have attempted to move Jose Altuve from the infield dirt to the outfield grass as a means to compensate for the loss. The results, thus far, have been mixed.

But amidst all the hullaballoo surrounding Altuve's move to left field has been the disasterous spring numbers that fellow outfielder Chas McCormick has posted this spring. In 12 games, McCormick has just four hits in 24 at-bats, bringing his Grapefruit League batting average to a meager .167. The 29-year-old does, however, have a .429 on-base percentage thanks to nine free passes this spring.

Joe Espada's response suggests Astros will continue to run out Chas McCormick despite his struggles

In a conversation with The Athletic (subscription required) Astros manager Joe Espada seemed undeterred by his outfielder's struggles this spring. When asked about McCormick's shortcomings, Espada said, “I’m looking beyond the stats when it comes to Mac. He’s swinging at strikes. He’s walking. He’s hit some balls hard. That counts for me because if you do that through the course of the season, the results will be there. I’m pleased with the quality of his at-bats.”

Yeah, that all sounds good, but the proof is in the pudding. Last season, McCormick was given a long, long, long leash and continually failed to produce at the dish. After returning from a hamstring injury in mid-May, McCormick hit just .170 over the course of 66 games before being optioned to the minor leagues in late-August. But frankly, Houston should've pulled the trigger before then.

The warning signs were there. Since his return from the IL, McCormick was hitting just .174/.208/.326 at the All-Star break, but Houston refused to send him down. After the Midsummer Classic, McCormick posted a paltry .164/.235/.262 slash line causing Houston to finally relent and option McCormick to Triple-A. McCormick returned to the big leagues, but his time was cut short by injury.

McCormick's stats this spring don't reveal the type of bounce-back performance Houston is going to need in 2025. It is just spring training, but a player like McCormick can't afford to put up those type of numbers. No wonder the Astros are giving Cam Smith an audition in right field this spring.

More Houston Astros News and Rumors