Astros' Jacob Melton: Placed on IL with back injury
Rotowire
Triple-A Sugar Land placed Melton (back) on the injured list Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Melton dealt with a back issue throughout the spring and re-injured himself while making a diving play during Grapefruit League action. The No. 64 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Melton ended last season with Triple-A Sugar Land after being bumped up from Double-A. Across 105 minor-league contests last year, Melton slashed .253/.310/.426 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI, 59 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.
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Astros' Jacob Melton: Nursing sore back
Rotowire
Melton is dealing with mild back soreness, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
It sounds like a day-to-day type injury. One of the Astros' top prospects, Melton is not yet on the 40-man roster but should push to debut sooner rather than later, particularly with the team's lack of outfield depth. He slashed .253/.310/.426 with 15 home runs and 30 stolen bases between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land in 2024.
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Astros' Jacob Melton: Moves up to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros promoted Melton from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Melton has slashed a rather pedestrian .248/.307/.443 with 10 home runs and 19 stolen bases over 58 games with Corpus Christi this season, although his production could have been hampered somewhat by a wrist injury he dealt with earlier in the year. The 23-year-old can play all three outfield spots and offers a fantasy-friendly skill set with some power and plenty of speed, although he'll probably have to wait until 2025 before he debuts in the majors.
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Astros' Jacob Melton: Shakes off wrist injury
Rotowire
Melton (wrist) returned to action for Double-A Corpus Christi on June 13 and has slashed .207/.281/.345 with four doubles and three stolen bases in eight games since rejoining the lineup.
Though Melton was never formally placed on Corpus Christi's injured list, he was sidelined for three weeks with a wrist injury. The 23-year-old outfielder has struggled to return to form since returning to an everyday role but is still upholding a .754 OPS over 169 plate appearances on the season.
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Astros' Jacob Melton: Moves to Double-A
Rotowire
Melton was promoted from High-A Asheville to Double-A Corpus Christi on Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Melton hit only .244 over 86 games with Asheville, but he also recorded a .338 on-base percentage, 18 home runs and 41 steals. The Astros saw enough from the 22-year-old to determine that he was ready for a stiffer test.
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Astros' Jacob Melton: Running wild at High-A
Rotowire
Melton is slashing .232/.337/.443 with 14 home runs and 30 steals in 62 games for High-A Asheville.
Melton turns 23 in September and is playing half his games in the extremely hitter-friendly park in Asheville, so this statistical output is essentially him meeting expectations. A physical and athletic 6-foot-3 outfielder, Melton brings an intriguing combination of power and speed to the table, and we should learn more about the viability of his hit tool once he starts facing age-appropriate pitching at Double-A.
