The Astros made it official Friday: outfielder Lucas Spence is getting the call from Triple-A Sugar Land, a move confirmed by MLB Trade Rumors as Houston reshuffles its roster in the thick of the trade-deadline stretch.
MLB Trade Rumors broke the news that the Astros are selecting Lucas Spence's contract.
Spence's path here is the fun part. He signed with Houston in 2024 as an undrafted free agent, meaning zero teams called his name and he had to force his way onto the radar anyway. Two years later he's in the big leagues. That's about as fast a climb as you'll see for a guy who wasn't even supposed to be a pro prospect.
He opened this season in Double-A and hit well enough through 44 games and 207 plate appearances to earn a bump to Sugar Land, where he got his first taste of Triple-A pitching. Now he's skipping straight to the majors off that momentum.
The timing lines up with need, not just performance. Houston has reportedly been hunting for a left-handed-hitting outfielder, and with Brice Matthews landing on the 10-day IL with a sprained left knee, there's an open spot to fill. The Astros also reinstated righty Kai-Wei Teng from the 15-day injured list in the same round of moves, so this is roster triage as much as a prospect reward.
Don't expect Spence to be the long-term answer, though. Reports indicate Houston still plans to aggressively scour the trade market for a more established outfield bat before the deadline hits. Spence is the stopgap, not the finish line.
Still, for a 23-year-old who wasn't drafted and is ranked around the #10 prospect in Houston's system, just getting the phone call is the win. Whatever happens with the trade market, he's officially a big leaguer now, and that part doesn't get taken away.