OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Mauricio Dubon #14 of the Houston Astros fields the ball against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on July 27, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
These three members of the Houston Astros roster are the most likely ones to be gone by September 1.
The level of desperation for the Houston Astros to win a championship this year isn’t too dire. They always have 2017 to fall back on even if some baseball fans will always view it with an asterisk. This year’s roster is so different from the one from that championship season that we can practically call this ongoing year a new era.
We’re already seeing teams make some big and somewhat surprising roster cuts. Veterans are getting designated for assignment rather than play out the end of their contract. Is there someone on the Astros who will suffer the same fate?
The Astros actually don’t have that big albatross contract or underperforming pitcher on the roster. In fact, the three players most likely to be gone from the roster by September 1, are all offensive players. Who will we see dismissed by the time the calendar flips?
1) Astros roster doesn’t need Mauricio Dubon on it
Aledmys Diaz is the better version of Mauricio Dubon. It’s not even close. Together, the two aren’t so bad on a roster. There does come a point in a season where hitting around .200 is no longer acceptable. For this reason, Dubon will probably be gone from Houston by September 1.
The Astros added Trey Mancini at the trade deadline which gives them another bat to use at DH but also first base and even a corner outfield spot. He’s a superior hitter to Dubon whose role with this ball club has been to play all over the field. By the time September 1 rolls around and the Astros can actually use one of the extra roster spots on two better hitters rather than a versatile defender, we should expect Dubon to be gone.
How gone will he be? The out-of-options 28-year-old would have to be designated for assignment in order to get removed from the 26-man roster. Considering how poorly he has hit, it’s not such an unwise decision.
The health of someone like Michael Brantley could push Dubon off the roster. A hotter hitter in the minor leagues could also do the trick.