Houston Astros ‘Wish’ They Could Upgrade Important Position Due to Lack of Production

The Houston Astros might have bigger problems on their hands, but the outfield needs to improve.

Sep 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Kyle Tucker (30) gets a standing ovation before his bat against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have continued to play well, winning three straight games. 7-3 over their last 10 games and 5.5 games in front of the second-place Seattle Mariners in the American League West, the Astros are in an excellent spot with less than a month remaining in the regular season.

Kyle Tucker also returned on Friday, coming back from a two-month injury. Arguably the best hitter in the lineup, Tucker is slashing .264/.396/.579 with 19 home runs, 11 doubles, and 40 RBI in just 216 at-bats.

He was quietly putting together one of the better seasons of his career, which is saying a lot, considering he's posted years with an OPS+ above 140.

Tucker currently has a 175 OPS+.

However, while Tucker's return was massive for more reasons than not, it came at the perfect time. Houston's offensive showing out of their outfielders has mostly been disappointing.

There are other problems on the roster, too, but Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes it's the Astros' biggest problem. Miller wrote that Houston "wishes" they could go back to the deadline and trade for an outfielder.

"The combined force of Yordan Alvarez, Yainer Diaz, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Jeremy Peña has kept this offense humming along. But with the exception of the games when Alvarez is in LF instead of DH, Houston's outfield has been a hot mess at the dish. The good news is that Kyle Tucker is finally back after a hiatus of more than three months with a fractured shin. Will he be able to reharness his pre-injury MVP form, though? Even getting Tucker back doesn't save them from the eternal dilemma of whether to start Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers or Mauricio Dubón in center."

While an outfield bat would be nice, with Tucker back in the lineup, that area should be taken care of. Their issues at first base seem to be the bigger problem, and one that's been an issue when everyone is healthy.

As they head into the offseason, the Astros need to address these areas of need: a long-term first baseman, an above-average-hitting outfielder, and a few arms on the bump.

With all those areas in need this winter, it's impressive that Houston has not only managed to stay afloat but might be the best team in the American League.

It might be unrealistic to ask the front office to fix all of those areas, but if they can tackle two of them, it'd be a step in the right direction.