Houston Astros call up promising young outfielder to replace Kyle Tucker

The Houston Astros were forced to place star outfielder Kyle Tucker on the IL on Friday. It was a disappointing break for a team that has more than its fair share of injury issues.

Although they placed Tucker on IL, they did not take steps to immediately replace him with a call-up. Finally, they decided what they were going to do to replace their star.

According to a report from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros have made the decision to call up outfielder Joey Loperfido to take Tucker’s spot on the roster.

Loperfido was the expected call-up, as he already has playing time in the majors this season. He has played in 14 games for Houston so far this year and has had some success.

In his 14 appearances, Loperfido hit for a .333 batting average in 39 at-bats and hit one home run and drove in five RBIs. These numbers show some of the potential the 25-year-old outfielder brings with him.

So far this season in the minor leagues, the young outfielder has hit .264, along with 13 home runs and 30 RBIs. He’s been productive and is ready to start producing again for the Astros in the majors.

Losing Tucker is just another brutal break for Houston. They failed to stay healthy throughout the season. Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy both recently underwent season-ending surgeries.

Despite the injury issues, the Astros have found a way to remain somewhat relevant. They hold a record of 29-35 after beating the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. Although they are not in the playoff roster at the moment, they are still within reach.

Hopefully their injury luck can change from here on out. They will likely need to add one or two members to their pitching staff at some point to replace their injured players. Losing Tucker is a big blow, but Loperfido is capable of performing well until the star can return.

We’ll have to wait and see, but there’s still hope for Houston. A lot needs to happen and a move or two will need to be made, but nothing is set in stone yet. Loperfido has big shoes to fill, but he’s ready to seize the opportunity to help the Astros stay competitive.