The Astros placed Loperfido on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a right quadriceps strain.
The 26-year-old sustained the quad injury during Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals. Loperfido will be eligible to be reinstated April 28, and Astros general manager Dana Brown said during a radio appearance Sunday that he's optimistic that the 26-year-old outfielder will be ready to return at that time, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. In the meantime, the Astros will likely lean on Brice Matthews, Dustin Harris and Shay Whitcomb to pick up reps in left field in Loperfido's absence.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Enters Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Whitcomb is starting at third base in Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitcomb wasn't in the original lineup and the Astros never announced a change. However, he took the field with the rest of Houston's starters and is manning third base while hitting ninth. Nick Allen (undisclosed) was removed from the lineup.
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Astros' Nick Allen: Late scratch
Rotowire
Allen did not start Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Allen was originally slated to start the game at shortstop while hitting ninth. The Astros never announced a change to the lineup, but Carlos Correa ended up taking the field at shortstop with Shay Whitcomb manning the hot corner. It's unclear if Allen suffered an injury or if the team just made a change to its lineup.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Headed back to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.
Whitcomb was up with the big club during its weekend series versus the Athletics while Isaac Paredes was away on the bereavement list. With Paredes returning to the active roster ahead of Monday's game in Colorado, Whitcomb will head back to Sugar Land.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Promoted Friday
Rotowire
The Astros recalled Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday.
The 27-year-old will join the Astros ahead of Friday's series opener against the A's with Isaac Paredes being placed on the bereavement list. Given Houston's glut of infielders, Whitcomb is likely to fill a reserve role while up with the big club.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Sent to minors
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Whitcomb to minor-league camp Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Whitcomb has slashed .280/.369/.520 over the past two seasons at Triple-A Sugar Land but owns just a .491 OPS in 78 career plate appearances in the majors. He'll officially return to the minors to begin 2026 after posting a .649 OPS in the Grapefruit League, but his defensive versatility will keep the door open for a return to the big leagues sometime this year.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Heading back to Triple-A
Rotowire
Houston optioned Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday.
The Astros made a flurry of acquisitions ahead of Thursday's trade deadline that led to Whitcomb losing his spot on the 26-man active roster. The 26-year-old infielder is closing in on his third season in a row with 20-plus homers and double-digit steals at the Triple-A level, but he has a career .178 average and .231 on-base percentage in 78 plate appearances in the big leagues.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Heading back to minors
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday.
Whitcomb was called up July 1 but received only two starts and 10 plate appearances during this stint with the big club. He's clearing out to make room on the roster for Christian Walker's return from the paternity list.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Dispatched back to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.
Whitcomb's most recent stint in the big leagues lasted less than a week, and he struck out in both of his plate appearances. He is being cleared from the active roster to make room for the return of Taylor Trammell (calf) from the 10-day injured list.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Back in Houston
Rotowire
The Astros recalled Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
Four days after being optioned to Triple-A, Whitcomb will rejoin the big-league roster to replace Brendan Rodgers, who landed on the IL with a strained oblique. Whitcomb appeared in four games and went 0-for-7 during his first stint with the Astros this season, and he'll likely remain a bench bat for the big club this time around.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: On bench again Sunday
Rotowire
Whitcomb is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Whitcomb finds himself on the bench for the second straight game after he started the previous seven contests. Alex Bregman is at third base again Sunday, while Yainer Diaz is serving as the designated hitter.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Getting night off
Rotowire
Whitcomb is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Baltimore.
Whitcomb made six straight starts at third base after being called up Aug. 17 and went 5-for-19 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored during that stretch while Alex Bregman dealt with an elbow issue. Bregman appears to be just about recovered though, and he'll handle the hot corner Friday.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Promotion coming Friday
Rotowire
The Astros are expected to select Whitcomb's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
The 25-year-old is one of the Astros' top remaining prospects after the trade deadline and has taken a major step forward at Triple-A this season with 25 homers, 26 steals and a .293/.378/.530 slash line in 108 games, which earned him his first look in the big leagues. Whitcomb has played all over the diamond at Sugar Land, and while he's seen most of his playing time at second base, third base and shortstop, Houston's major lineup hole is at first base. The utility player is likely to see plenty of action there in addition to the corner outfield and designated hitter spots.
