The Houston Astros added a few fun players this offseason in Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows, and recently they traded for Joey Loperfido to give them some extra outfield depth.
While there are reasons to be optimistic about the 2026 Astros, there is one major question that the team has yet to answer despite having a year to do so: Who is their replacement for Kyle Tucker in the outfield?
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports highlighted the Astros corner outfield competitions as one of the more intriguing of the spring. While it’s an interesting battle, it highlights how the Astros have yet to find their Tucker replacement a year after he was dealt.
Astros dealing with corner outfield issues 1 year after Kyle Tucker trade
“For now, Jake Meyers in center field is about the only part of Houston’s outfield that can be considered even remotely settled,” Axisa writes, “…It’s not the best outfield group for the Astros. This is a wide open spring competition.”
The top choices for the two corner outfield spots for the Astros in 2026 are Loperfido, Zach Cole, Taylor Trammell, and Cam Smith.
Smith was acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the blockbuster trade for Kyle Tucker last offseason, and while he’s shown some promise, the fact that he isn’t locked into a starting job is a bad sign.
Cole is an interesting player, as the 25-year-old rookie, in just 15 games for Houston in 2025, hit .255 with an .880 OPS thanks to two doubles and four homers on 12 hits. He also had 11 RBIs, three stolen bases, and nine runs scored in his limited action.
The frontrunners for the starting job are most likely going to be Smith and Cole, with Loperfido being a bench option alongside Trammell.
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Jose Altuve was experimented with as a left fielder last year, but that doesn’t look to be the case this season, with the future Hall of Famer returning to second base.
Dana Brown might also trade Isaac Paredes for a new outfielder as well, which could throw this outfield competition into a completely different direction.
After missing the postseason for the first time in a while in 2025, the Astros are looking to return, and to do so, figuring out this outfield will be a priority.
It’s one of the weakest outfields in MLB, and the team is still sorely missing Tucker. Over a year since trading him away, the Astros have yet to find a star to replace him in the outfield.
Cole, Loperfido, and Smith have potential, and a strong spring would almost guarantee a starting job to begin the 2026 MLB season.
