Joey Loperfido returns for his second stint in MLB

ANAHEIM, Calif. – When the Astros brought Joey Loperfido back to Triple-A Sugar Land on May 27, he hadn’t played in a week. Loperfido was ill during that time, manager Joe Espada said, but it also reflected the state of Houston’s outfield at that time — crowded, with several more experienced players performing well.

Loperfido, the 25-year-old prospect, had “done enough to stay at the major league level” in his first 14 games, Espada said at the time. But the Astros felt Loperfido needed to play regularly to continue his development, and “that probably wasn’t going to be the case right now” on their major league roster, Espada said.

With Loperfido returning to Houston on Saturday, replacing the injured Kyle Tucker on the roster, the question of whether it will be different in his second stint in the major leagues has arisen.

Loperfido returns to an outfield mix that seems more malleable than when he left. Tucker, a true everyday player in right field, will be on the IL until at least June 14, opening at bat in his absence. Meanwhile, a recent decline in production from other Astros outfielders creates more spots where Espada could insert Loperfido and see if he can shake up the lineup.

Jake Meyers was going through a torrid May, in which he posted a .924 OPS, when Loperfido was sent down. Entering Saturday, Meyers was 8-for-48 with no extra-base hits in his last 13 games. Chas McCormick, whose return from a hamstring injury in late May resulted in fewer opportunities for Loperfido, was 2 of 23 in 10 games since going to the IL on Saturday.

Mauricio Dubón had started six of the Astros’ last seven games, going 5 for 25 during that stretch, but the team values ​​the versatile Dubón in a utility role rather than an everyday role. Yordan Alvarez has made seven of his last 12 starts in left field, but Alvarez can serve as a designated hitter if Houston receives production from its other outfield options.

Loperfido was not in the lineup Saturday, with the Astros playing Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. But Espada said before the game that Loperfido could see more regular playing time during his current call-up.

“I think there’s more opportunity for him to get more at-bats on a daily basis in the position we’re in right now, yeah,” Espada said.

Asked if he expected that to happen, Espada replied: “Yes, I do. I think you know how I feel when you recruit young players here… They have to play for us to understand the present and future of a particular player. But yeah, I think right now, where we are, I think there will be more opportunities.

Loperfido and Trey Cabbage, left-handed outfielders, were on the bench Saturday with the Astros against Anderson. Meyers started in center field, with Dubón in left field and McCormick in right field.

All three contributed to a 6-1 Astros victory, illustrating the difficulty Loperfido might still face earning regular playing time. McCormick tripled to start a two-run third inning. Meyers lined an RBI single later in that inning and Dubón added an RBI single in the eighth.

Houston will face another left-handed starter, Patrick Sandoval, on Sunday, but Espada noted the Astros will likely see several right-handed starters in the ensuing series in San Francisco, “so there are opportunities there for Joey and Cabbage.”

The Astros could get into some platoon matchups in their outfield for now. Meyers’ range in center field is valuable, but Loperfido and Cabbage can play all three outfield spots, giving Espada options against right-handed pitchers. Dubón and McCormick can also play all three spots.

With only limited playing time to allot, Espada said his outfielders can command it through production.

“I think performance matters,” Espada said. “We try to win games. I’m trying to get some of these guys going offensively, so I’m looking for the best matchups for these guys just to put them in position to be successful.

Loperfido was 13-for-39 with a .333/.381/.436 slash line in his first call-up. With a chance to regularly at-bat, he could take it by replicating that success. Some underlying metrics suggest challenges remain. Loperfido’s 35.3% whiff rate led to 17 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances in his first stint in the major leagues. He saw 62.5 percent of fastballs and was 2 for 11 against breaking pitches; he might start to see more and will have to adapt.

In his final nine games at Triple-A after being optioned, Loperfido was 9-for-43 with two extra-base hits and 13 strikeouts. Defensively, he resumed splitting time between the outfield and first base.

“I just kept working on my throwing in the outfield, working on my jumping in center field,” Loperfido said. “And at the plate, just having good at-bats. I wanted to hit, keep refining everything, kind of like we’ve been doing since spring training. Some weeks will be better than others, but I think the process remains the same.

In his first call-up, Loperfido did some pregame work at first base, but did not appear there in a game. He was picked when José Abreu returned, giving the Astros two first base options, along with Jon Singleton. Espada said Saturday that he “can see” Loperfido playing first base but “not immediately.”

Tucker said Saturday that he hopes to miss the minimum 10 days on the IL, but is still using a crutch to keep weight off his bruised right shin, giving some uncertainty to his timeline. So, less than two weeks after returning to Sugar Land, Loperfido joined the Astros in an attempt to alleviate Tucker’s absence.

“I think I know what I’m capable of and I know the quality of baseball that I’m capable of playing,” Loperfido said. “So I’m just going to keep working towards that and kind of build on things.”