Former Astros outfielder makes them regret not giving him more of a chance

Given how loyal and stubborn the Houston Astros have been to certain players on their roster, they have found themselves faced with some difficult and tough decisions at times this season.

Joey Loperfido was bouncing between the majors and minors although he was clearly a superior option at the plate before Jose Abreu’s release. However, Corey Julks, who Houston traded to the White Sox in mid-May, has been a more permanent casualty this year.

Julks showed during his time in Houston that he was a big, useful player with some pop and speed, but he couldn’t find playing time in 2024, and his .650 OPS last year after having played a good while wasn’t enough to convince the Astros brass to keep him.

However, Julks currently has a real chance with the White Sox and he is using the opportunity to make the Astros regret giving up on him.

Although we’re only talking about a small sample size of around 20 games, Julks is doing a good job with the White Sox this season. In 87 plate appearances, he’s hitting .253/.322/.443 with three homers, which, hilariously enough, has made him one of the best players on a truly terrible White Sox team.

Meanwhile, Chas McCormick has posted a .152/.152/.242 slash line since returning from the injured list in May while Abreu has remained inept at the plate following his short stint in the minors. While Julks wouldn’t have helped with Abreu’s struggles (although Loperfido absolutely could), he probably would have been better than McCormick (and probably Jake Meyers too, who went back to being a pumpkin after a hot start to the season).

Look, some of the Astros’ struggles this year are simply the product of bad luck. Slow starts from Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez played a role, as did injuries in their rotation. Fans can probably live with this stuff at least for a little while. However, there are some fundamental missteps with this roster that are costing them, and letting a guy like Julks go who could have helped them instead of relying on guys who just aren’t getting the job done may be one of their biggest sins.

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