Astros fans shouldn't read too much into former top prospect’s Triple-A promotion

This time of year, Houston Astros fans (and really baseball fans in general) do a lot of reading of tea leaves to figure out what minor league promotions could be coming. With the cutoff for using a year of service time passing, and September call-ups being a time honored tradition, fans are keyed in on figuring out which prospects could come up to give their teams a boost.

The Astros have been busy towards this end already. They called up Zach Dezenzo previously and, so far, he has done quite well in the big leagues. On Thursday night, rumors began to swirl that the previous rumors of Shay Whitcomb getting promoted was becoming a reality, which calls into question how much playing time the struggling Chas McCormick is going to get going forward.

However, one move that flew under the radar is the Astros moving Kenedy Corona up to Triple-A. On the surface, this could appear to be a precursor to a possible big league promotion. However, there is probably a less exciting explanation in play here.

Kenedy Corona's Triple-A promotion doesn't mean he could get called up in 2024

The combination of Corona's name recognition, the bump to the highest level of the minors, and the fact that Houston has some outfielders either struggling or, in the case of Kyle Tucker, on the injured list, this shift garnered a lot of attention. While it is possible Corona could come up in a pinch, it seems unlikely for a number of reasons.

Part of the Astros' calculation here is that they already put Corona on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5. Given that he is already on the 40-man, having him test his mettle at Triple-A makes sense as Houston plans things out for the future. On top of that, Corona hasn't actually been all that good in 2024. In 79 games this season, Corona has only managed a .219/.325/.297 with his power completely disappearing. He has stolen 25 bases, but the rest of the numbers are pretty grim after he posted back-to-back strong seasons at the plate in 2022 and 2023.

Could Corona get a look in the big leagues this year? Sure, it is possible. Injuries happen and Corona could have some value in the playoffs as a defensive replacement and a pinch runner. However, with the Astros already calling up Dezenzo and Whitcomb and Corona struggling as much as he has, his promotion to Triple-A feels like Houston just making a procedural move and not revealing their short-term plans.

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