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Report: Bryce Boettcher to focus on football, not report to Houston Astros spring training
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- Report: Bryce Boettcher to focus on football, not report to Houston Astros spring training
Oregon Ducks fans got the news they were hoping for late Tuesday night when senior linebacker Bryce Boettcher announced that he would be returning to Eugene for the 2025 season.
While Boettcher, a two-sport star, has run out of eligibility in baseball, he only played three seasons of football and was granted a waiver by the NCAA to have one more year of eligibility. As the leading tackler for the Ducks in 2024, Boettcher's return brings massive upside to the defense.
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Once the announcement was made, though, the question about Boettcher's immediate future came up. After being selected by the Houston Astros in the 13th round of the MLB draft last year, Boettcher originally planned to join the team for spring training and start his professional baseball career after this season.
That doesn't appear to be the case anymore, though.
According to Chandler Rome, who covers the Astros for The Athletic, Boettcher is planning to pass on spring training this year and focus on preparing for the upcoming football season. Rome also says that Boettcher is going to re-evaluate his options following the 2025 season, as there is a good chance that he has a future in the NFL as well thanks to his recent rise.
"According to the team, Boettcher was given the option of reporting to the Astros in 2025 and then returning to Oregon in time for the start of the 2025 football season, 'but decided to focus on preparing for the upcoming football season,'" Rome reported .
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This past season, Boettcher led the Ducks with 94 total tackles including eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception. As a former walk-on special teams player from South Eugene High School, Boettcher has been one of the best stories for Oregon all season long, working to become one of the top players and top leaders on the team.
Now we know that he will be with the team for one more season, and after that, he will decide whether he wants to continue his football or baseball career professionally.
