Astros demote struggling World Series hero with Jason Heyward roster move looming

The game of baseball has a short-term memory. One's previous accomplishments and performances can give a player the benefit of the doubt for a little while, but teams often have to quickly accept reality when a guy is struggling, especially when they aren't making a boatload of money. For a while now, that has felt like what needed to happen with the Houston Astros and Chas McCormick.

One can somewhat understand the Astros' hesitation to cut bait with McCormick. Not only was McCormick good last year, but his catch in the 2022 World Series made him a fan favorite. Unfortunately, it has been apparent for a while now that McCormick isn't anywhere close to being that guy right now.

With the reported signing of Jason Heyward after he was let go by the Dodgers, the writing was on the wall, and Houston ultimately decided to option McCormick to the minors.

Astros News: Chas McCormick optioned to the minors in wake of Jason Heyward signing

Just last season, McCormick really broke out with a .273/.353/.489 line and 22 homers in 457 plate appearances. By all accounts, he appeared to be a part of the Astros' future in the outfield, and they were going to be better for it. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury earlier this year got McCormick off track, and he never seemed to find his way again, as his .548 OPS in 2024 is the lowest of his career by a wide margin. A closer look at his batted ball profile shows a guy whose ability impact the ball has disappeared in 2024 -- and with real swing and miss problems to boot.

Once Heyward was brought into the fold, it was clear that someone in the current outfield mix had to go. and McCormick was the easy answer. While Kyle Tucker's absence did free up some playing time, the Astros' outfield roster was still too crowded, and continuing to give McCormick at-bats when he has not justified doing so with his play this season was getting quite irksome.

It is probably fair to assume that Heyward isn't going to immediately come in and light the world on fire at the plate at this stage of his career (although that would be nice). However, his defensive upside and veteran presence in the Astros' clubhouse was clearly more attractive to Houston than what McCormick was bringing to the table. Given how the 2024 season has gone, we can't blame them for coming to that decision.

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