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The Houston Astros fell to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon, but the Seattle Mariners took one on the chin as well, so the 'Stros' five-game cushion in the AL West standings remains the same. Houston welcomed back both Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander as well, so despite the loss, the Astros are as healthy as they've been in recent weeks.
The Astros will also be welcoming a new face to the clubhouse upon their trip to Maryland on Thursday. Houston is set to begin a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles, and Ben Gamel will be activated before the Astros take the field at Camden Yards.
Gamel was plucked off waivers from the New York Mets after being DFA'd in order to make room for Starling Marte's return from the IL. The Astros, of course, needed to make a corresponding move in order to add Gamel to the active roster and decided to send Trey Cabbage back to Triple-A Sugar Land.
At this point, one has to wonder whether manager Joe Espada and the Astros front office are closing their eyes when Chas McCormick is in the batters' box.
Ben Gamel set to join Astros, but corresponding roster move defies logic
Cabbage has minor-league options remaining, so it's not necessarily surprising that he was the one left behind when the team boarded the plane to Baltimore on Wednesday. But McCormick has been horrid all season, and even worse of late. On the year, McCormick is hitting .193/.260/.283 and has a wRC+ of 56. Since the All-Star break, McCormick's slash line is .167/.246/.222 with a 39 wRC+.
The Astros optioned Trey Cabbage to Triple-A
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 21, 2024
In his sporadic time in the majors this season, Cabbage is hitting just .209/.253/.357. But in the minor leagues, Cabbage owns an .848 OPS and 16% walk rate. At least he's getting on base, which is far more than McCormick can say regarding his performance this season.
Hope is not a strategy, but it appears as though that's what Houston's front office is employing at the moment. They're hoping that McCormick will eventually figure it out. I'm not sure if Dana Brown and Co. realize it or not, but it's almost September. If McCormick hasn't made the necessary adjustments yet, it's unlikely to happen at all.