Jake

Meyers

Meyers had the second hardest-hit ball of the game at 110.2 mph, but that was a groundout. The homer was just a generic pop fly down the left field line that looked like it was going foul but that somehow came back over the wall. It left his bat at 93.8 mph with a 47-degree launch angle. To put that in perspective, there were only four homers hit with a launch angle of at least 47 degrees (nine at 45 or higher) during the entire 2024 season.

Meyers smacked a single into left field off of Miles Mikolas in the second inning, swiped second base and scored the Astros’ first run on a sacrifice fly. He added a two-out single off of Mikolas in the fourth inning, but wound up getting stranded there. The 28-year-old outfielder is off to a strong start this spring, hitting .333 (5-for-15) with a homer, three RBI and one stolen base.

He had been 0-for-8 coming into the day. Meyers is expected to be the Astros’ primary center fielder, and his defense will be extra important with Jose Altuve learning left field. He hasn’t really impressed with the bat at any point since 2021, so the nine spot is likely where he belongs in the lineup.

Meyers has an inside track to be the starting center fielder for the Astros as the team currently has one of the least expensive outfield trios in baseball. Meyers is a strong defensive center fielder, so he’s a good real-life asset for the Astros, but he hit just .219/.286/.360 in 148 games in 2024 with 13 home runs and 11 steals, so he should not be counted on in fantasy leagues.

“Melton’s another guy that could be a big piece for us,” Brown said during last month’s annual GM meetings. “He’s a really good defensive outfielder with power. He has a chance to make an impact.” The 24-year-old outfielder will presumably compete next spring with established veterans Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers to carve out a permanent role in Houston’s outfield mix, but he’s on the verge of reaching the big leagues after batting .253/.310/.426 with 15 homers and 30 steals in 443 plate appearances last year between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land. Melton checked in at OF70 in Rotoworld’s 2025 Top 500 dynasty rankings and his power/speed combination makes him an easy top 100 fantasy prospect heading into next year. He’s a name to keep on watch lists, even in re-draft formats entering spring training.

The biggest surprise here is that Jake Meyers was actually tendered a contract as he looked to be a candidate to get left out in the cold here. It still wouldn’t be shocking to see him purged from the Astros’ roster at some point before the 2025 season begins. Bryan Abreu, Mauricio Dubon, Luis Garcia, Chas McCormick, Jeremy Pena, Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez were all tendered contracts as anticipated on Friday.

McCormick will get the start in center against left-hander Tyler Holton — and then the Detroit bullpen — in a must-win game for the Astros, so Jake Meyers retreats to the bench. Jason Heyward is also in the lineup, replacing Mauricio Dubon. The full lineup for the Astros: Jose Altuve 2B, Kyle Tucker RF, Yordan Alvarez DH, Alex Bregman 3B, Yanier Diaz C, Victor Caratini 1B, Jeremy Peña SS, Jayson Heyward LF, and McCormick in center.

Myers extended the Astros’ lead to 6-1 with a three-run blast off Tyler Anderson. The 28-year-old appeared to be having a breakout season after a strong first two months, but he’s struggled considerably since to drop his slash to an unhealthy .220/.286/.366.

Jake Meyers has been activated from the Paternity list but he won’t be with the team until Friday, so McCormick will get his third straight start in center field since being recalled from Triple-A.

Salazar has had a few chances at the big league level this season, but with Jake Meyers needing to be activated from the Paternity List today, the Astros will no longer carry three catchers on their active roster.