Kingery, with nothing to lose, said he did things the way he wanted to in With that came an uptick in production. His walks decreased significantly. The enhanced aggressiveness resulted in 12 more homers, 25 more hits and 20 more RBI in just 39 more at-bats compared to the year prior.
But also zero call-ups. Not even a promotion back to the man roster. Another option for left field is prospect Zach Dezenzo, who spent a month playing winter ball in Puerto Rico to get more at-bats and some reps in left field. He was a shortstop when he played at Ohio State University. While in Puerto Rico, Dezenzo played eight games in left field, 10 at first base and one at third base.
The Astros have since signed Christian Walker to play first base, but there remains a real opportunity for Dezenzo to make the club as a contributor in left field. I was in rehab until mid-June. And getting those at-bats, continuing to play, was big. So I think being in those game environments, atmosphere and situation was good for me. I already had that conversation with him. I really like his potential, his athleticism, his bat.
Both Cristian Javier and J. France underwent season-ending surgery last year and are locks to start on the injured list, while reporting yesterday revealed that both Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. If Houston cannot engineer a reunion with Bregman, the team also maintains serious interest in free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco, who could see the majority of his time at second base and also move Altuve to left field.
Altuve has done some work in left field this offseason at Daikin Park. Luis Garcia said he had some elbow tightness during his recovery process in September, so the Astros shut him down for six weeks. He has experience in the rotation and the bullpen, but the Guardians will build him up as a starter in spring training. Polanco has been cleared to resume baseball activities after undergoing left knee surgery on Oct.
