ARLINGTON -- Center fielder Jake Meyers was reinstated from the injured list Saturday and was in the Astros’ lineup for their game against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, batting ninth. Meyers had been out since July 9 with a right calf strain.
Meyers was removed from a game July 6 at Dodger Stadium with a sore calf muscle and returned to the lineup three days later, only to be removed from that game before a pitch was thrown. Meyers strained the calf running onto the field pregame and wound up on the injured list, where he stayed for two months.
Meyers is having his best season offensively. Before the IL stints, he had a slash line of .308/.369/.405 in 89 games, with 14 stolen bases. The Astros were 54-35 in games in which Meyers played this year.
“Adding Jake, his defensive and offensive production he’s been showing this year, it stretches our lineup a little bit more,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We get him down in the lineup and, hopefully, he gets on base for the top of the order. Excited to have him back.”
Chas McCormick, Taylor Trammell, Jacob Melton and Mauricio Dubón handled center field with Meyers out. McCormick was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday. Melton was optioned Saturday to make room on the roster for Meyers, who went 4-for-18 in six games during a Minor League rehab assignment at Sugar Land.
The Astros, who added Carlos Correa, Jesús Sánchez and Ramón Urías at the Trade Deadline, are still hopeful to get All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes back at the end of the regular season. Paredes, who suffered a severe right hamstring strain on July 19, was back on the field doing baseball drills Wednesday before heading to West Palm Beach, Fla., to continue his rehab.
Paredes was having a solid year at the plate. He was slashing .259/.359/.470 in 94 games and led the team with 19 homers and 50 RBIs at the time of his injury.