Former Astros outfielder is making them regret not giving him more of a chance

Given the Houston Astros' loyalty/stubbornness to certain players on their roster, they have been left with some awkward and tough decisions at points this season.

Joey Loperfido was bouncing back and forth from the majors and minors despite clearly being a superior option at the plate prior to Jose Abreu's release. However, a more permanent roster casualty this year was Corey Julks, who Houston traded to the White Sox back in the middle of May.

Julks showed flashes during his time in Houston of being a useful big leaguer with some pop and speed, but he couldn't find playing time in 2024, and his .650 OPS last year after playing a good bit wasn't enough to convince the Astros' brass to keep him around.

However, Julks is getting a real chance with the White Sox right now and he is making the most of the opportunity to make the Astros regret giving up on him.

Corey Julks' success with White Sox calls in question the Astros' decision-making

While we are only talking about a small 20-something-game sample, Julks is doing good work with the White Sox this season. In 87 plate appearances, he is slashing .253/.322/.443 with three homers which, hilariously enough, has made him one of the best players on a truly terrible White Sox team.

Meanwhile, Chas McCormick has posted a .152/.152/.242 slash line since he returned from the injured list in May while Abreu remained inept at the plate after his short stint in the minors. While Julks wouldn't have helped with Abreu's struggles (although Loperfido absolutely could), he probably would have been better than McCormick (and probably Jake Meyers as well, who has turned back into a pumpkin after a hot start to the season).

Look, some of the Astros' struggles this year have just been the product of some crummy luck. Slow starts from Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez played a role, as did injuries in their rotation. Fans can probably live with those sorts of things at least for a little while. However, there are some fundamental missteps with this roster that are costing them dearly, and letting a guy like Julks go who could have helped them instead of relying on guys that just aren't getting the job done may be one of their bigger sins.

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