There is no reason for this former top draft pick to still be on the Astros' roster

Building out the Houston Astros' bench is easier said than done. One spot goes to the backup catcher without question, another goes to utility Mauricio Dubon a good chunk of the time, and yet another goes to Chas McCormick because Houston can't quit him. That doesn't leave much roster space to have added utility on the bench especially with Brendan Rodgers around.

The hope when the Astros signed Rodgers was that he would be able to recapture the offensive ability that got him drafted #3 overall before playing for the Rockies ripped his soul from his body. Unfortunately, Rodgers hasn't exactly wowed anyone with his play since taking Jose Altuve's place at second base.

Given how Rodgers is playing and how their current roster alignment is so inflexible, there is actually a pretty good argument for the Astros to move on from him altogether.

Brendan Rodgers doesn't give the Astros anything they don't already have

Here is the fundamental problem with Rodgers: he is only worth playing if he can hit. Houston already has a slick fielder with a questionable bat that struggles to find playing time in Dubon. Rodgers has been fine defensively at second, but again...the Astros have that sitting on their bench right now. If Houston is waiting for Rodgers' prediction that playing away from Coors would help his production to come true, they are gearing up for disappointment.

There is some cause for optimism with Rodgers. When he does make contact, he does hit the ball hard with regularity as his barrel percentage, hard hit percentage, and launch angle sweet spot metrics all grade out well. The problem is his strikeout rate is in the bottom 2% in all of baseball and he hits a lot of balls straight into the air where they are easy outs. Given how long he has been a big leaguer, expecting him to just "be better" all of a sudden seems unlikely.

If the Astros want more offensive firepower, give Zach Dezenzo a shot at second as he has experience from the minors all over the infield. If they are willing to live with a hole in their lineup in exchange for plus defense, Dubon could be playing. Given the world the Astros exist in, keeping Rodgers around when that spot could go to a better backup outfield option/pinch runner or a real left-handed bat.

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