Houston Astros first baseman A.J. Reed has been optioned to the minors to make room for backup catcher Tim Federowicz. Reed's cup of coffee lasted only three at-bats to this point in the season, as he is the odd man out with the news that catcher Brian McCann will undergo knee surgery. The 6-foot-4, 2014 draft pick has absolutely been crushing the baseball at Triple-A, slashing .266/.379/.536 in 73 games with three triples, 11 doubles, 18 home runs and 67 runs batted in. He has two 30-plus home run seasons under his belt at the minor league level and his power is unquestioned. He currently is being blocked by Yuli Gurriel at first base, but Reed still could contribute to the big league club at some point in the season.
Houston Astros first baseman A.J. Reed has been recalled from Triple-A and will make his season debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Reed was hitting .266/.379/.536 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in Triple-A this season. He could see a few starts over at first base with Yuli Gurriel on paternity leave. Reed is worth a look in DFS, but not in fantasy leagues. Reed will bat sixth against Rays' righty Wilmer Font.
The Houston Astros optioned first baseman A.J. Reed to minor league camp on Monday. Reed had a slash line of .298/.365/.511 and an OPS of .876 in 52 Grapefruit League at-bats, which is great, but it just speaks to how stacked the team's current roster is. Reed arrived to camp 25 pounds lighter after an offseason diet. His departure to the minors leaves Marwin Gonzalez, J.D. Davis and Tyler White as options for first base with Yuli Gurriel injured to begin the season.
The Houston Astros are calling up third baseman J.D. Davis and have optioned first baseman A.J. Reed back to the minors, according to a source. Reed, although he boasts impressive raw power, had just four hits in 20 at-bats (.200) for the 'Stros this year after disappointing with a .217 average in 2016. Davis is the team's 14th-ranked prospect in the system, and he had a .279/.344/.520 slash line with 25 home runs and 76 RBI combined between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno. He might be worth a pickup in dynasty and really deep AL-only leagues, but he's unlikely to see enough at-bats to make much fantasy noise down the stretch.