5 Astros players who don’t deserve to be on the 40-man roster

Dylan Coleman

Normally, a guy that only just got acquired wouldn't necessarily be on the chopping block because, well, he was acquired for a reason. However, Dylan Coleman is a bit of a unique case, as he already has a track record of being sort of a quad-A type player that is going to struggle to win a regular bullpen spot, unless things go sideways this spring.

When the Astros traded for Coleman this offseason, he was a low-cost acquisition to give Astros some bullpen depth this spring. At the time, Houston's bullpen was looking pretty speculative, and that sort of depth had value. However, the Astros have since signed Josh Hader and the bullpen is looking more promising. Point blank, the Astros just have better internal options ahead of Coleman and they can probably find someone better to fill out the bullpen from the pile of players that get cut in spring training.

Corey Julks

Finally, we come to Corey Julks as the lone outfield representative on the list. Julks is pretty clearly on the outside looking in when it comes to outfield playing time, even in the event of an injury. Kyle Tucker is a lock, Chas McCormick seems to have earned another shot at starting, and the Astros seem to really value Jake Meyers' defense. Yordan Alvarez may play some left field here and there, and the Astros already have prospect Kenedy Corona on the 40-man. Given all of that, when would Houston ever play Julks?

Minor-league depth is also a factor here. Jacob Melton is the Astros' best prospect, and he plays the outfield, as do other top prospects Joey Loperfido, Colin Barber, Pedro Leon, and Justin Dirden. That is just the guys that are at Double-A or higher. Having outfield depth on the 40-man is nice, but the Astros have plenty of options if need be, and Julks just hasn't shown enough to warrant keeping a spot if push came to shove.

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