Brice

Matthews

The 23-year-old top prospect is expected to get a real shot at becoming the team’s regular season baseman. He possesses an intriguing blend of power and speed which makes him an interesting addition in deeper mixed leagues for the second half of the season.

Matthews is up with a chance to make his MLB debut after being drafted in the first round in 2023. The 23-year-old has forged an .876 OPS with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases, and he offers some long-term fantasy upside. It seems unlikely he’ll have a ton of relevancy in 2025, but he’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.

The 23-year-old was the Astros’ first-round selection (28th overall) from the 2023 draft class. He has been brilliant at Triple-A Sugar Land this season, slashing .283/.400/.476 with 10 homers, 39 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 325 plate appearances. A shortstop by trade, he has played mostly second base in the minor leagues this season. He could cover shortstop while Jeremy Peña recovers from his rib injury before shifting over to second base. He could wind up being an impact addition in deeper mixed leagues based on his stolen base upside combined with his strong bat-to-ball skills and power potential.

The 23-year-old is on fire right now. Over his last 30 games, Matthews is hitting .308/.424/.607 with 14 extra base hits, including seven home runs, plus 24 RBI and nine steals. That has amounted to a 165 wRC+. He’s knocking on the door for an MLB promotion.

The Astros’ top prospect started off the year slowly, but hit .333 in 54 at-bats in May. He has cooled off some but is hitting .258 with an .832 OPS at Triple-A this season with seven home runs, 27 RBI and 17 steals in 50 games. He has played primarily second base this season and could be a factor for the Astros if they move on from Brendan Rodgers and want to keep Mauricio Dubon has a utility player.

The 23-year-old infielder sustained the injury while sliding. He’ll need to pass through the concussion protocol before he’s able to return to game action. In 37 games at Triple-A Sugar Land, Matthews was hitting .234/.375/.375 with four homers, 13 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a 45/28 K/BB ratio.

The 22-year-old former first-round pick hit just .188/.278/.375 in MLB spring training with eight strikeouts in 18 plate appearances. That said, he had a strong year in 79 games across Double-A and Triple-A this year and will head back to Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season. Astros manager Joe Espada said second base “is a place where I think (Matthews) can find comfort and he can be an above-average defender.” We should expect Matthews to play second base regularly in Triple-A this season, and a strong start to the year could mean that he pushes for an MLB call-up early this summer, especially with Jose Altuve now set to mainly play the outfield.

The Astros are proceeding full-steam ahead with the Altuve in left field experiment, which will enable them to move Yordan Alvarez to a full-time DH role. The 34-year-old veteran has played second base exclusively since 2011, but figures to be able to make the transition pretty seamlessly. Barring an unexpected reversal, it’ll likely be some combination of Brendan Rodgers, Mauricio Dubón, Shay Whitcomb and possibly even top prospect Brice Matthews battling it out this spring for the starting second base role.

Matthews is a quality shortstop, but with Jeremy Peña having that spot locked down, second base could be his long-term home. The 2023 first-round pick hit .265/.384/.481 in 79 games at first levels last season, topping out with 12 games in Triple-A. He’s probably not ready to hit in the majors yet, but he could be a factor later this year, especially if Jose Altuve grows comfortable in left field.

Matthews takes home a signing bonus of $2,478,200, which is under the slot value of $2,880,700 for the 28th pick. The 21-year-old shortstop, who blasted 20 homers and also stole 20 bases over 54 games this spring for Nebraska in his final collegiate season, possesses a high floor and is expected to be on the fast track to the big leagues.