The Astros optioned Leon to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
After starting three straight games upon his recall earlier this month, Leon had been in the lineup just three times over the last 11 contests. He went just 2-for-20 with 10 strikeouts during his first stint in the big leagues.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Out of lineup again Wednesday
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Leon is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Leon started in right field in three straight games Saturday through Monday, but he's now been on the bench for the final two games of the series in Arlington. Mauricio Dubon will patrol right field Wednesday.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Making major-league debut Saturday
Rotowire
Leon is starting in right field and batting ninth against the Rays on Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Leon was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday to take the spot of the departing Joey Loperfido, who was sent to the Blue Jays as part of the trade package for southpaw Yusei Kikuchi. Leon took the leap with Sugar Land this season, and in 93 games he was slashing .297/.377/.519 with 23 stolen bases, 21 doubles, 19 home runs and 74 RBI across 424 plate appearances. The 26-year-old will get his first taste of major-league action against Tampa Bay right-hander Zack Littell.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Contract selected Tuesday
Rotowire
The Astros selected Leon's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The 26-year-old is taking the roster spot of Joey Loperfido, who was traded to the Blue Jays as part of the package for lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi. Leon has a .297/.377/.519 slash line with 19 homers and 23 steals in 93 games at Triple-A this season, and he could see regular playing time in right field until Kyle Tucker (shin) is ready to return from the injured list.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Getting call-up Tuesday
Rotowire
The Astros are expected to promote Leon from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Leon will join the Astros' 40-man roster and 26-man active roster as a replacement for outfielder Joey Loperfido, who was dealt to the Blue Jays on Monday. The 26-year-old has posted big numbers in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this season, batting .297 with 19 home runs and 23 stolen bases over 424 plate appearances with Sugar Land. With the Astros struggling to settle on a permanent replacement in right field for the injured Kyle Tucker (shin), Leon could have a chance to take hold of an everyday role in the Houston outfield in the short term.
Astros' Pedro Leon: Plays first spring game Tuesday
Rotowire
Leon (abdomen) played in his first spring game Tuesday without issue, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Leon appeared off the bench in the Astros' split-squad contest against the Cardinals and handled center field for the final two innings. Coming off January surgery to repair a sports hernia, the 24-year-old outfielder said his health is "in perfect condition" leading into the 2023 season. He could make his MLB debut at some point this summer.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Looks to be healthy again
Rotowire
Leon (abdomen) is listed as an available reserve on the lineup card Tuesday for the Astros' split-squad Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Leon has yet to make his spring debut while recovering from the sports hernia procedure he underwent in mid-January, but the 24-year-old outfielder looks as though he may get the chance to play Tuesday. Kenny Van Doren of KCOU 88.1 FM Columbia notes that Leon resumed facing live pitching earlier this month and has been playing in minor-league games on the back fields at Astros camp, so he's seemingly poised to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the minor-league season. If he's healthy and productive early on during the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, Leon could be viewed as a solution for the Astros in center field, which was one of Houston's few areas of weakness in its run to the World Series last fall.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Undergoes sports hernia surgery
Rotowire
Leon underwent sports hernia surgery Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Leon is expected to be sidelined for approximately 6-to-8 weeks following the procedure, and he'll be unable to attend major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee. The 24-year-old showed improvement at Triple-A Sugar Land last year, slashing .228/.365/.431 with 17 homers, 71 runs, 63 RBI and 38 stolen bases, and he'll likely be in the mix to make his big-league debut at some point in 2023.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Back in action at Triple-A
Rotowire
Leon (facial fracture) went 1-for-3 with two runs, two walks and two strikeouts Sunday in his return to action for Triple-A Sugar Land.
Leon ended up missing three weeks with the injury. He has primarily played center field, right field and second base this year at Triple-A, perhaps setting the stage for him to break into the majors next season in a utility role. Leon, 24, is hitting .238/.373/.451 with 14 home runs, 32 steals, a 13.8 percent walk rate and a 27.3 percent strikeout rate in 400 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Sidelined with facial fracture
Rotowire
Leon was diagnosed Tuesday with a facial fracture and will be placed on Triple-A Sugar Land's 7-day injured list, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Though Leon won't require surgery to address the injury, he's dealing with more than cosmetic damage after he took a fastball to the face during his lone plate appearance in Sugar Land's game Saturday. The 24-year-old has produced an .822 OPS and 32 stolen bases in 395 plate appearances at Triple-A this season, but the injury may close the door on Leon's chances of getting a promotion to the majors in 2022 to take over as Houston's everyday center fielder.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Racks up 10 steals in 12 games
Rotowire
Leon has hit .324/.519/.568 with two homers, 10 steals and an 11:9 BB:K over his last 12 games for Triple-A Sugar Land.
Despite showing some pop and speed throughout the year, Leon had been struggling to hit for average due to a high strikeout rate -- he went down on strikes at a 30.4 percent clip over his first 61 games while batting just .218. However, ever since going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in consecutive games June 25-26, Leon has been an entirely different hitter across these last dozen contests, posting just a single multi-strikeout effort while drawing walks at a startlingly strong pace and running wild on the basepaths.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Power on full display
Rotowire
Leon went 3-for-5 with two home runs and a career-high six RBI in Saturday's game for Triple-A Sugar Land.
He is hitting .333/.444/.784 with five home runs, five steals, a 12.7 BB% and a 28.6 K% over his last 51 at-bats. Leon's power/speed upside is very apparent -- he hit one of his homers clear out of the ballpark to left field Saturday -- but cutting down on the strikeouts will probably be a prerequisite for the Astros giving him the call this season.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Lots of whiffs with Sugar Land
Rotowire
Leon is hitting .243/.386/.485 across his first 127 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Leon managed only a .033 ISO across 75 plate appearances with Sugar Land to end the 2021 season. While he's increased that mark to .243 in the new campaign, he is still striking out at a 32.3 percent clip. That type of performance isn't likely to earn him a promotion to the majors, but it is worth noting that Leon has played the majority of his games in center field. Chas McCormick is currently the primary center fielder in Houston, but he has just a .301 wOBA to go along with a .238/.286/.393 line. If Leon can show some increased contact ability in the coming weeks, he could still factor into the team's plans at the big-league level in 2022.
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Astros' Pedro Leon: Headed to minors
Rotowire
The Astros reassigned Leon to minor-league camp Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Though he's one of Houston's top prospects and reached Triple-A Sugar Land in 2021, Leon's lack of success with the affiliate following his late-season promotion from Double-A Corpus Christi made it unlikely that the Astros would include him on the Opening Day roster. That being said, Leon -- who has played both shortstop and center field in the minors -- could have a fairly clear path to an everyday role in Houston at some point in 2022, as the Astros are poised to enter the season with a rookie (Jeremy Pena) and a relatively unestablished player (Chas McCormick) as their projected starters at those respective positions. Before a promotion is considered, however, Leon must first prove himself against Triple-A competition. The 23-year-old has nowhere to go but up in that regard after submitting a .131/.293/.164 slash line while striking out in 30.7 percent of his 75 plate appearances at Sugar Land in 2021.
Leon (finger) was reinstated from the 7-day minor-league injured list Monday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Leon had been sidelined since late July due to a fractured left pinky finger, but he recently began a rehab assignment with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate and went 2-for-9 with an RBI, a stolen base and two strikeouts across three games. He'll be available at Triple-A Sugar Land for the final days of the season.
