The Houston Astros recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land to replace shortstop Jeremy Pena (ribs), who landed on the 10-day injured list on Monday. Whitcomb, a former fifth-rounder in 2020 out of UC San Diego, debuted with Houston last year as a utility infielder and went 9-for-41 (.220) with no homers, five RBI and a run scored in just 20 games. The 26-year-old is hitless in nine plate appearances in the majors this year but has impressed in 60 games at Sugar Land, slashing .280/.360/.582 with a .942 OPS, 19 long balls, 43 RBI, 43 runs scored and six steals. Whitcomb will serve in a super-utility role for the Astros again and could even see some playing time in the outfield. However, because his playing time will likely be sporadic, he's nothing more than a waiver-wire flier for short-term depth in AL-only fantasy formats.

The Houston Astros have recalled infield/outfield prospect Shay Whitcomb to the major leagues. In a corresponding move, the Astros have placed outfielder Chas McCormick (oblique) on the 10-day injured list. Whitcomb has enjoyed an impressive power surge at Triple-A and is being rewarded with a promotion. Over his last seven contests at Triple-A Sugar Land, the No. 15-ranked prospect in the system has posted a stellar .467/.500/.967 slash line with five home runs and a 2:2 K:BB. Through 53 games, Whitcomb has posted a .275/.357/.599 slash line with 18 long balls. Whitcomb received a brief taste of the major leagues last season and held a modest .220/.304/.293 line with three doubles and an 8:5 K:BB across 20 contests. Fantasy managers should expect Whitcomb to compete for opportunities in the outfield and is worth an add in all standard formats given his power upside.

The Houston Astros placed outfielder Chas McCormick (oblique) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 30) on Saturday with a left-oblique strain and recalled infield prospect Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. Oblique injuries can be tricky to recover from, so there's a good chance McCormick isn't ready to go when he's eligible to come off the IL. The 30-year-old veteran has hit .256 (11-for-43) in limited playing time as a bench option for the Astros this year with no homers and only two RBI. Whitcomb, the team's No. 15 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will return to the big leagues after going 9-for-41 (.220) with three doubles and five RBI in his first 20 MLB games in 2024. The former fifth-rounder in 2020 out of UC San Diego has swung the bat very well at Sugar Land, clubbing 18 homers, including five in his last three games. He could be worth a deep-league pickup if he plays regularly in Houston.

Houston Astros infield prospect Shay Whitcomb continued his power surge on Thursday against Triple-A Albuquerque. In this game, Whitcomb went 2-for-5 with a round-tripper. On Wednesday, Whitcomb launched three home runs. This was also his third-straight contest tallying at least two hits. Prior to this recent surge at the plate, the No. 15-ranked prospect in the system posted a low .063/.211/.063 line with an 8:4 K:BB over his last nine contests. Through 52 games with Triple-A Sugar Land this season, Whitcomb has held a strong .267/.352/.584 slash line with 13 doubles, 17 home runs, and six stolen bases. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Whitcomb's production. He was able to make his MLB debut last season but only appeared in 20 games. If he continues to produce at Triple-A, he could be in the mix to earn a more extended stint in Houston.

Houston Astros infield prospect Shay Whitcomb went 4-for-5 with three home runs and five RBI in Wednesday's 9-2 win over Triple-A Albuquerque. The 26-year-old has handled Triple-A pitching this season, slashing .264/.351/.574, and leads the league with 16 home runs. He pairs a double-digit walk rate with an average strikeout rate. Drafted in the fifth round in 2020, Whitcomb has been in the Astros system for a few years. If Whitcomb continues hitting at this sort of level, he could force his way into a role in the Houston infield sometime this summer. That would limit him to a deep league or AL-only type of player for now.

Houston Astros infield/outfield prospect Shay Whitcomb finished 0-for-4 with a walk in a 6-1 loss to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday. Whitcomb went on a tear earlier this month during a four-game stretch from May 10-14, when he combined to go an incredible 10-for-18 with five home runs. However, the 26-year-old is now in the midst of a severe slump. Dating back to May 15, Whitcomb has gone 1-for-29 with no extra-base hits, seven strikeouts, and four walks. However, despite his recent issues, Whitcomb's overall line of .240/.336/.525 through 212 plate appearances for the Pacific Coast League remains well above average. He also leads the PCL with 13 homers. Assuming Whitcomb rebounds, the Astros could call up the defensively versatile slugger this season to help improve a middle-of-the-pack offense. Whitcomb went homer-less and batted .220/.304/.293 over a small sample of 46 plate appearances during his first taste of major league action in 2024.

Houston Astros infield/outfield prospect Shay Whitcomb went 3-for-5 with two home runs, five RBI, and two runs scored on Wednesday for Triple-A Sugar Land. The 26-year-old has been on a tear recently, with five home runs in his last three games and four straight multi-hit performances. With 13 home runs, he stands alone atop the minor league home run leaderboard, and with a .277/.362/.613 slash line, it shouldn't be long before he gets another shot in the majors. In 20 games in the big leagueslast year, the right-handed hitter had better-than-league-average strikeout and walk rates along with a solid 83.3 percent contact rate, but it didn't translateto production as he hit .220 (.278 xBA) with a .272 wOBA (.342 xwOBA) and 76 wRC+. Look for the results to be a bit better next time he gets a chance, and the 6-foot-1 slugger would be worthyof a roster spot in most 12-team leagues when that happens.

Houston Astros infield prospect Shay Whitcomb posted his second-straight multi-hit game on Sunday against Triple-A Salt Lake. In this game, Whitcomb went 2-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base. Over his last nine contests, the No. 17-ranked prospect in the system has held a .316/.366/.553 slash line with three home runs, a 10:2 K:BB, and a stolen base. Whitcomb made his MLB debut last summer but only appeared in 20 games. During this brief taste, the 26-year-old held a .220/.304/.293 line with just three doubles. Through 38 games at Triple-A this season, Whitcomb has posted a solid .259/.341/.531 line with 13 doubles, nine round-trippers, and three swiped bags. Given his steady play at the top level of the minor leagues, Whitcomb should be in the mix to join Houston later this season.

Houston Astros infield prospect Shay Whitcomb went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs on Thursday for Triple-A Sugar Land. The two blasts were his first home runs of 2025, now 5-for-25 (.200) on the young season with four of his five hits going for extra bases. The former fifth-round draft pick hit 35 home runs in 2023 and is coming off a 2024 season in which he hit 25 home runs and stole 26 bags at Triple-A, earninghimself an MLB debut late in the year. The major league audition didn't go as well, slashing .220/.304/.293 with no home runs or steals, however, he struck out at a better-than-league-average rate of 17.4 percent and walked at a better-than-league-average rate of 10.9 percent over 46 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should keep the right-handed slugger on their radar as he'lllikely be in the big leagues at some point this season and could provide more meaningful contributions in his second go-round. While he's only eligible at third base on Yahoo, the 26-year-old also played four games at second base for the Astros in '24 and was manning first base on Thursday, so his added versatility provides multiple paths to playing time and potential multi-positional eligibility on Yahoo down the line.

The Houston Astros have optioned infield prospect Shay Whitcomb to minor-league camp. Whitcomb was competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster but fell short. He made a brief MLB debut last season and held a .220/.304/.292 slash line across 20 contests. He tallied three doubles and held a 5:8 BB:K. However, Whitcomb has been very productive at Triple-A and could push for an early return to the big leagues if he enjoys a strong start to the 2025 campaign. Last summer, the 26-year-old posted a .293/.378/.530 slash line with 19 doubles, two triples, and 25 home runs. He swiped 26 bags while holding a 53:95 BB:K. This was significant improvement compared to the .224/.281/.434 line he held across his first 87 games at this level during the 2023 season. Whitcomb is worth monitoring in AL-only leagues as he will have value when he return to the major leagues.