Monday, July 07

HOUSTON – Brice Matthews has reached the point in his career where whenever the Astros have an opening on their Major League roster, fans are clamoring for the club’s top prospect to be called up. It’s a position fellow former first-round picks George Springer, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker have been in during past years, and the Astros hope Matthews has similar success someday.

The future appears to be bright for Matthews, which is why he’s one of two Astros prospects who are headed to the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta. Matthews (No. 1/MLB No. 98) and right-handed reliever Alimber Santa (No. 29) will represent the Astros on July 12 in the prospect showcase.

Matthews, a first-round pick out of Nebraska in 2023, was slashing .279/.397/.477 with 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 23 stolen bases through Thursday while playing mostly second base at Triple-A Sugar Land. He’s made strides at the plate this season after reaching Triple-A late last year.

“I feel I’m playing really well,” he said. “There’s always more work to do, perfecting my craft and just getting better every day. I feel like I’ve been playing well to this point – a lot better than I did last year. I’m just trying to keep maturing every day and be more consistent.”

Matthews, 23, said the game is starting to slow down for him, which wasn’t the case at the beginning of the season. He had a .799 OPS in April, 1.033 in May and .960 in June, en route to being named Astros’ upper-level Minor League Player of the Month.
 
“I’d definitely say my persistence and the people I have around me, not just my teammates, but my coaches, my family, my friends, with the support they’ve given me, give me the reassurance that I am the player that I think I am,” Matthews said.
 
Matthews remains a work in progress defensively at second base after playing mostly shortstop and third base in his first full pro season last year. The Astros, of course, have some uncertainty at second base after moving Jose Altuve to left field this year. Matthews could be Houston’s starting second baseman entering 2026.
 
“It’s been pretty good for me, seeing a different angle and slowing the game down that way, just trying to be as smooth as I can over there,” Matthews said. “I had a lot of great people to watch in Spring Training with Brendan Rodgers, [Luis] Guillorme and [Mauricio] Dubón, so I’m picking up a lot of things from them, and Zack Short as well.
 
“I didn’t get to see Altuve much because he was in left field a lot, but it’s been fun learning from those guys. The time I had with them and just picking their brains and asking questions, just watching, honestly, that’s how you get better. You watch and see what they do, and I try to mimic it a little bit.”

The Astros brought up Short from Triple-A instead of Matthews when Guillorme went on the injured list earlier this week with a hamstring injury. Houston believes it’s still important for Matthews to get everyday at-bats in the Minor Leagues because of his defense and the fact he has 93 strikeouts in 312 plate appearances.
 
“He’s made big strides,” general manager Dana Brown said. “I like that he’s making really good, hard contact. He’s getting better defensively. He’s got a really good OPS, he’s hitting for a decent average. ... He’s even stealing some bases. He’s really developing and coming along.”

Astros manager Joe Espada was asked earlier this week if the club had considered calling Matthews up. He made it clear that Matthews will get his shot at some point.
 
“I think he has the potential to be an everyday player and right now, in the position we are in, we just need some versatility, someone that can come off the bench I can plug in,” Espada said. “Right now, the best thing for him is to continue to get at-bats in Triple-A and c­­­ontinue his progress. He's doing a really good job. I’m really excited about Brice Matthews.”

Astros rookie Shay Whitcomb, who’s slugged 44 homers in 168 games at Triple-A Sugar Land the past two seasons, finally collected his first Major League homer, which came in Wednesday’s win over the Rockies at Coors Field. His homer traveled a Statcast-estimated 451 feet, which is the longest homer by an Astros player this season.

Whitcomb, who was Houston’s upper-level Minor League Player of the Month in April and May, couldn’t help but smile as he rounded the bases. He traded an autographed bat to retrieve the ball from a Rockies fan.

“Right away, I was like, 'OK, that’s gotta be a homer,’” Whitcomb said. “I was so excited. That’s probably the most excited I’ve ever been playing this game. … It was a special moment just to share it with my friends and my close buddies and seeing the joy on their faces made the moment even greater.”

Whitcomb, who made his Major League debut last season, was named the club’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2024 after hitting .293 with 73 runs, 19 doubles, two triples, 25 home runs, 91 RBIs, 26 stolen bases and a .908 OPS in 108 games with Sugar Land. He was 9-for-41 in 20 games with the Astros and was optioned to the Minors after making four errors at third base in a game against the Mariners on Sept. 25.

When he was called up to the Astros earlier this week, it was his third stint on the Major League roster this year.

“The resiliency in a baseball player, sometimes it takes time to build, but you go through these ups and downs and understand that,” Espada said. “Getting an opportunity [Wednesday] to get a big home run, I’m really happy for him.”

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