Houston Astros call up Cooper Hummel after releasing José Abreu

Cooper Hummel spent his first hour at Minute Maid Park after the Astros called him up from Triple-A Sugar Land Friday afternoon to go through the usual newcomer checklist. He was shown his locker, collected his uniform and met his teammates.

On his way to the field for batting practice, Hummel stopped to take care of one last thing: letting the bat boy know how much he likes his batting helmet to fit properly.

It was a small but necessary detail for the 29-year-old utility player who is making his first appearance for a major league team this season, and for an organization he joined in April.

Hummel was added to the 40-man roster after the Astros released first baseman José Abreu Friday afternoon.

In 45 games played for the Space Cowboys this season, Hummel hit .301 with a .932 OPS, 13 doubles, seven home runs, 31 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

Hummel said he was on his way to Constellation Field and was on the phone with his mother, who informed him that Abreu had been released.

“She said, ‘Oh my God, did you see that Abreu was released? ‘ and I was like, ‘Oh no, I didn’t.’ I guess if something happens, I’ll know,” Hummel said. “I wasn’t necessarily expecting it today but it’s cool.”

He didn’t have to wait long. Around 1:30 p.m., Hummel received a call from Sugar Land manager Mickey Storey, telling him to pack his bags and head to Houston. By 2:45 p.m., he was at Minute Maid Park, settling into his locker along the back wall of the Astros clubhouse.

“I smiled. I cried,” said Hummel, who will wear No. 13 for the Astros. “The last year has been really difficult for me. So to be here is incredible.

Hummel spent the 2023 season in the Mariners organization, where he began the season in the majors, but was optioned to Triple-A in late April after going 2-for-23 in 10 games played for Seattle. He was claimed off waivers and designated for assignment by the Mets and then the Giants before the Astros picked him up early this season.

Hummel played five positions during his professional career – both corner spots, first base, third base and catcher. Most of his playing time in Sugar Land was in the outfield, with 22 games in left field, nine games in right field, nine games at first base and six as a designated hitter.

The Astros intend to continue giving Jon Singleton the majority of innings at first base, with Mauricio Dubón platooning against left-handed pitchers. Hummel is unlikely to see the field defensively, although Astros general manager Dana Brown praised Hummel’s “quality hitter” — something Houston couldn’t extract from Abreu .

Hummel said the Astros haven’t discussed with him how they envision his role moving forward or what positions they want him to develop further. On Friday, he took pregame reps at first base alongside Singleton and received instructions from first base coach Omar López. Hummel added that he brought a third base glove with him to Houston just in case and was ready for anything.

“Coming to the Astros, they helped me realize some things (about) when I was at my best in my career,” he said. “How to make my swing path work as best as possible and what makes me as efficient as possible.” So it’s been really good. And even though I didn’t realize it with the Mariners, first base is apparently a very important thing now. They played me quite a few last year. At the time, I was like, “Oh, who wants a 5-10 first baseman? ‘And you know, here I am.