Houston Astros Reveal Why Top Prospect Lands on Injured List

A few days after the Houston Astros placed their No. 3 prospect on the injured list the team revealed his injury.

Hooks' Brice Matthews signs baseballs for fans before the game against the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Whataburger Field on Thursday, August 1, 2024, in Corpus Christi, Texas. / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Up until Sunday, few knew that Houston Astros infield prospect Brice Matthews was on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Corpus Christi.

Now we know why.

Per The Athletic, the Astros said that Matthews was suffering from back spasms.

The IL move was made on Friday but wasn’t widely reported until Sunday.

The spasms are notable in that it’s the second time that Matthews, the Astros’ No. 3 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, has had issues with his back.

While with High-A Asheville earlier this season, he landed on the Tourists’ IL on May 7 and didn’t return until May 31. A back injury put him on the IL. That means the Astros may be a bit cautious with Matthews’ return to the Hooks.

The Houston native joined the Hooks after he was promoted from High-A Asheville on June 18. He’s produced a solid stat line, as he’s slashed .234/.351/.450/.801 with six home runs and 13 RBI in 30 games.

The promotion was a reward for his great play with Asheville. While healthy for 21 games he slashed .321/.423/.580/1.003 with six home runs and 17 RBI. Combine his time at Asheville and Corpus Christi with his four injury rehab games with the Astros’ Florida Complex League team and he’s batting .283/.398/.512/.910 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI.

The infielder joined the organization last year after Houston selected him in the first round (No. 28 overall) out of Nebraska.

In his first wo seasons with Nebraska he batted .266 and then broke out in 2023, moving him up draft boards. He slashed .359/.481/.723 and put together the second 20-20 season in Big Ten Conference history.

Houston started him last year with the Florida State League Astros and later promoted him to the Class-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers as he combined to hit .208/.365/.352/.717 with four home runs and 11 RBI.

The only prospects ahead of Matthews are outfielder Jacob Melton, who is at Triple-A Sugar Land, and outfielder Luis Baez, who is at Asheville.

The prospect directly behind him is another infielder Zach Dezenzo, who was promoted to the Astros last week and has started several games at first base. Behind Dezenzo in the prospect rankings is outfielder Zach Cole, who is with Matthews at Corpus Christi.

The rest of the Astros’ Top 10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, are pitcher A.J. Blubaugh (Sugar Land), pitcher Jose Fleury (Corpus Christi), pitcher Colton Gordon (Sugar Land), pitcher Anderson Brito (Fayetteville) and outfielder Kenedy Coronoa (Corpus Christi).