Loperfido went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's win over the Athletics while also drawing a walk.
Loperfido jumped on a changeup from Joey Estes with two outs in the bottom of the third inning and sent it over the wall in right field for his first big-league home run, capping off a six-run inning for Houston. The rookie outfielder has gotten off to a fantastic start and has now hit safely in five straight games. Over that stretch he's batting .388 (7-for-18) with three RBI and three runs scored.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Heading to bench Monday
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Loperfido is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.
With a single and a double in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Tigers, Loperfido propped his on-base percentage up to .367 for the season, but the rookie still has yet to take full control of an everyday spot in the lineup. He'll hit the bench for the second time in four games while catcher Yainer Diaz gets a day off behind the plate and serves as Houston's designated hitter. Meanwhile, Yordan Alvarez will pick up a start in left field, where Loperfido has seen most of his big-league action thus far.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Remains on bench
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Loperfido is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Loperfido has a .316/.381/.316 slash line through his first seven big-league games, and he finds himself on the bench Friday for the fourth straight game. Jake Meyers is starting in center field and batting ninth in the series opener at Detroit.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: On bench in second straight
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Loperfido is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
The lefty-hitting Loperfido was on the bench for Tuesday's 10-3 loss while right-hander Luis Gil started for the Yankees, and the rookie will remain out of the lineup again Wednesday versus southpaw Carlos Rodon. The Astros likely aren't ready to pull the plug on Loperfido just yet, but the consecutive absences suggests that he might not have much leash in the everyday lineup. Since his call-up from Triple-A Sugar Land on April 30, Loperfido has gone 4-for-16 with seven strikeouts and one walk.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Sitting versus left-hander
Rotowire
Loperfido is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Guardians.
He started each of the first two games following his promotion against right-handers, but with southpaw Logan Allen starting Thursday, the left-handed hitting Loperfido will take a seat. The Astros are going with Mauricio Dubon in left field, Jake Meyers in center field and Jon Singleton at first base.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Two RBI in debut
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Loperfido went 1-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Guardians.
Loperfido was officially called up Tuesday for his big-league debut and started in left field in place of Chas McCormick (hamstring). Loperfido flew out in his first plate appearance, but he delivered a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the fourth inning for his first big-league hit. The Astros have been somewhat unclear on their plan to use him in the short term, but there are regular plate appearances available with Jose Abreu away from the team.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Called up, batting seventh in debut
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The Astros selected Loperfido's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land, and he's starting in left field and batting seventh Tuesday against the Guardians.
The 24-year-old will receive his first taste of the big leagues as veteran Jose Abreu heads to the minors amid a horrid start to the campaign. Loperfido should see time at both first base and in the outfield but may not immediately have an everyday role, as GM Dana Brown said he doesn't think it would be "fair" to use Loperfido as the regular first baseman right away.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Confirmed for call-up
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The Astros confirmed that they will select Loperfido's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Loperfido earned his first promotion to the big leagues by slashing .287/.393/.713 with 13 home runs and five stolen bases in his first 25 games with Sugar Land this season. He also had a 30.3 percent strikeout rate, and contact has often been an issue for the 24-year-old throughout his time in the minors. However, with Jose Abreu performing so poorly at first base, the Astros appear willing to give Loperfido a look at the position even if strikeouts are abundant. Loperfido can also play the outfield, and he could be an option for at-bats there, as well, if the Astros elect to cut the playing time of Mauricio Dubon and/or Jake Meyers.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: En route to majors
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The Astros are expected to call up Loperfido from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Tuesday's series opener versus the Guardians, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Loperfido has been on a tear at Triple-A, batting .287 and getting on base at a .393 clip with 13 home runs, 27 RBI, 31 runs scored and five stolen bases over 122 plate appearances in 25 games so far this season. In addition to left field, Loperfido has made his most starts for Sugar Land this season at first base and center field, making him an option at either position. The duo of Mauricio Dubon and Jake Meyers in center field hasn't performed quite as poorly as the combination of Jose Abreu and Jon Singleton at first base, so the latter position seemingly represents Loperfido's best path to immediate playing time.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Showing power at Triple-A
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Loperfido has hit .289/.356/.711 across 51 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Loperfido made a positive impression in spring training and has carried that over to the minor-league season. He mashed his sixth home run of the season Thursday against Albuquerque and has collected at least one hit in five consecutive games. While Loperfido's surface stats are impressive, he also has a 37.2 percent strikeout rate, an area he'll almost certainly need to improve upon before getting the call to Houston.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Making impression in camp
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Loperfido has hit .348 with a .217 ISO across 26 plate appearances in Cactus League action.
Loperfido is among the Astros' top prospects and logged 138 plate appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land to close the 2023 season. He struggled at the level, striking out at a 32.6 percent clip while posting a 79 wRC+. On the surface, Loperfido has made a strong case to reach the majors at some point in the upcoming campaign with his performance this spring, though his strong surface stats have also come with a 38.5 percent strikeout rate and a .615 BABIP.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Impressing in Astros' camp
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Saturday that Loperfido's performance so far this spring has "been eye-popping for sure," Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Loperfido drew a walk in both of his plate appearances Saturday versus the Cardinals and scored two runs. He's gone 4-for-9 with three walks in 12 trips to the dish during Grapefruit League play. The 24-year-old is not yet on the 40-man roster and could still be a longshot to make the Opening Day roster, but he's put himself in position to reach the big leagues sooner rather than later. Loperfido slashed .278/.370/.510 with 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land in 2023 while seeing starts at five different positions.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Climbs to Triple-A
Rotowire
Loperfido is hitting .250 with a .387 OBP, one home run, one steal and eight strikeouts in eight games since getting promoted to Triple-A Sugar Land on Aug. 15.
An intimidating, 6-foot-3 lefty slugger with decent athleticism, Loperfido played five different positions in 84 games at Double-A (he opened the year with eight games at High-A), but he has only seen time in center field and right field thus far in the Pacific Coast League. At 24 years old, he is an older prospect with modest pedigree (seventh round pick in 2021), but Loperfido has displayed excellent plate skills while hitting 21 homers with 24 steals in 100 games this year.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Breaking out at Double-A
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Loperfido is slashing .306/.457/.565 with four home runs and six steals in 18 games since getting promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi.
Given that Loperfido just turned 24, his exploits at High-A Asheville didn't carry much weight, but he has been excellent thus far at a more age-appropriate level. He has more walks (18) than strikeouts (15) in 81 plate appearances for the Hooks. Loperfido has started in all three outfield spots as well as at first base and designated hitter, but he has more starts (seven) at second base than any other position.
