The Houston Astros moved on from two franchise icons before the 2025 season, with Alex Bregman signing with Boston and Kyle Tucker being traded. Houston’s front office made several moves that they thought would benefit their future, and it remains to be seen, but two players acquired via trade have not worked out this season.
Third baseman Isaac Parades has missed the last two months due to an injury, and it’s unclear when he will return. Meanwhile, Cam Smith has underperformed as of late.
Cam Smith is out of the lineup because of struggles
In the Astros’ series opener against the Colorado Rockies, it was notable that Cam Smith was missing from the lineup, and it was likely due to poor performance.
Smith has not recorded a hit in his last seven games and is just one for his last 24. He was hitting .292 on July 5, but now, about a month and a half later, his average sits at .242.
In 112 games overall this season, Cam Smith has seven home runs and an OPS+ of 86. He is still a rookie, extremely young (22 years old), and the Astros likely don’t want to push him into a deeper slump. However, in the middle of a tight division race, Houston needs to win games, and Smith’s development can be put on the back burner for now, while manager Joe Espada needs production from Smith’s slot in the outfield.
He has not hit a home run since June 28, despite being in the lineup every day, so it makes sense why his SLUG has taken a dip, but what looked like a really good trade on the forefront may need some more time to truly be assessed.
