It was a mistake not calling up Brice Matthews

I think the Astros missed two clear windows to call up Brice Matthews: before the Phillies series, and again before the Rockies series. The issue isn’t performance. We won’t know how anyone does until they’re given a shot. My frustration is with roster construction, which has been reactive instead of proactive. The hole at second base isn’t new. We have to figure it out before the trade deadline. When that time comes, we’ll be asking ourselves three questions:

1. Where is Altuve playing?
2. Where are our lefty bats?
3. How many starting pitchers can we truly count on returning?

The front office has correctly moved Altuve to left field long-term, which makes second base an urgent problem to solve. So let’s talk internal options:

– Dubón is a valuable rotating bench piece. He’s a great defender, serviceable bat, and fills in admirably but he shouldn’t be locked into one spot.

– Guillorme probably wouldn’t be on this roster if we were healthy. His glove is solid, but we’ve seen enough of his bat to know it’s not postseason caliber.

– Rodgers is a downgrade from Guillorme; worse glove, even worse bat (OPS+ of 56).

– Shay Whitcomb? I don’t have anything against him, but Espada clearly doesn’t trust him. He’s been called up twice and barely used.

Now with Peña out for at least 10 days, a starting infield spot opened up and we brought back Shay? Why? There’s an actual path to meaningful at bats here, and Brice Matthews has done enough to warrant a look. Why not take this opportunity to evaluate him before the deadline?

I’ve seen the argument about service time, but let’s be real who’s blocking him from a 2025 roster spot? Nobody. So you’re not saving anything. If he comes up now or on opening day next year, he still hits free agency in 2032. At least call him up and see what you’ve got before you spend assets at the deadline.

And now Yordan’s injury news makes the situation even worse. We were expecting an impact bat to return to the lineup, making it even more important to find ways to elevate the offense. You had hours of notice on Yordan’s status before confirming Shay’s call-up. Why not act with a little more urgency? We lost Pena for who knows how long, and you fill that hole with a guy who might not even see the field, let alone get more than two at-bats in a series?

If Peña is still on the IL beyond the deadline, I believe the Astros will have completely wasted an incredible opportunity for Brice Matthews to earn a starting role. Dana might say he needs more time in the minors, but given our injury situation, why not see if Brice can make the jump?