The Houston Astros' outfield situation continues to generate one of the strongest debates heading into the offseason, but this time it has not been because of good news for the organization.
Bad news for the Houston Astros.
According to Brian McTaggart of MLB , "Astros announce OF Joey Loperfido underwent arthroscopic surgery of his right hip to address a labral injury and hip impingement that were identified shortly after the season ended. He won't be ready for the start of the spring", news that could lead to some changes in the options the Astros have for their outfield in 2027.
In his return to Houston this season, Loperfido earned a spot on the major league roster. His start was consistent, with a .276/.348/.362 slash line in his first 20 games of the year, until he suffered a quadriceps injury that sent him to the injured list on April 17.
He could not return until June 9, and the worst part was that he was never able to regain his offensive rhythm. He fell into a terrible slump and his OPS dropped to .558 in 51 at-bats, with one home run and just four RBIs, so Houston decided to send him to Triple-A on July 4.
Houston Astros left fielder Joey Loperfido (10). Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As I wrote before, since his return, Loperfido has always been part of the Astros' internal plans to solve their problems in left field. That makes sense especially because of his encouraging 2025 season, which, despite being limited to 41 games, saw him take advantage of his opportunities and produce a .333/.379/.500 slash line, with four home runs, 14 RBIs, an .879 OPS and a 148 wRC+ in 104 plate appearances.
Now Houston will not be able to include him in its initial plans, and will have to look for other internal or external solutions. We have talked a lot about the subject and there are several interesting players who could be useful, but I feel it will not be the Astros' first priority this offseason.
It sounds reasonable in a certain sense because of the lack of depth in the starting rotation and the decision Houston will have to make on key players like Jeremy Pea, Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker .
Then, following that line of thinking, they will also have to decide whether to make Daulton Varsho an offer, whether to look for an option in free agency, or whether they still believe Jake Meyers should be the starting center fielder on Opening Day next season.
That said, the best internal options will be around Taylor Trammell, Zach Dezenzo and Brice Matthews, with the latter being the one who looked best defensively after finishing with 2 Fielding Run Value among the 13 left fielders the Astros used in 2026 .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Astros Face New Outfield Questions After Joey Loperfido's Hip Surgery .
