The Astros optioned Lee to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Yainer Diaz appears to have earned the second catching spot over Lee, who tallied four hits and four RBI in his 12-game MLB debut last season. The former first-round pick presumes to see big-league action at some point this season, whether due to an Astros injury or Diaz's performance.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Getting look at first base
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Lee is being given a look at first base during Grapefruit League play, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Lee is battling for the backup catcher spot this spring with Yanier Diaz, and as McTaggart points out, Diaz has shown the ability to play first base which could give him an edge on the position. Lee will get a chance to even the playing field by getting reps at first base during exhibition season, and the former first-round pick told reporters it's a position he's been practicing a lot. Be it Lee or Diaz, the backup catcher for Houston is unlikely to have much fantasy relevance this year, but both could have the chance to earn the starting gig in coming seasons.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Battling for backup job
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Lee is competing this spring to be the backup catcher for the Astros, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.
Christian Vazquez -- acquired by the Astros at the trade deadline in 2022 -- departed in free agency this offseason, leaving the backup catcher job in Houston wide open. Meanwhile, Lee is well-regarded for his defense but slashed only .238/.307/.483 with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate across 446 plate appearances for Triple-A Sugar Land last season. Nevertheless, he made a brief debut in Houston, earning 24 plate appearances. Lee will be competing for the role with fellow prospect Yainer Diaz, who is regarded as a superior hitter but more deficient with the glove.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Joins roster for World Series
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Lee was added to the Astros' World Series roster on Saturday, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.
Lee will join the team in place of Yuli Gurriel, who suffered a knee injury in Game 5. He's unlikely to be anything more than injury insurance behind the plate, allowing Christian Vazquez to serve as the designated hitter while Trey Mancini takes Gurriel's spot at first base.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Heads to minors
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Lee to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday.
Lee slashed .160/.192/.240 with a pair of doubles and four RBI in 26 plate appearances after his July 1 call-up. The small sample doesn't tell us much about Lee as a prospect. He now returns to the minors to clear space for the newly acquired Christian Vazquez, and barring injury to Vazquez or Martin Maldonado, Lee is unlikely to see significant big-league action in 2022.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Three hits, three RBI in win
Rotowire
Lee went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Athletics.
Lee knocked in half of the Astros' runs with an RBI single in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the seventh. The 23-year-old catcher had gone 0-for-4 with a walk in his first three big-league games, making one start in that stretch. With veteran Martin Maldonado around, Lee's playing time is likely to be limited to one or two starts a week, though an extended stretch of good hitting could help Lee force his way into the lineup more often while Jason Castro (knee) is out.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Draws first big-league start
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Lee went 0-for-2 with a walk Monday against the Royals.
Lee hit ninth and worked behind the plate in his first big-league start. He went hitless but did manage to work a walk in the seventh inning. With Jason Castro (knee) sidelined, Lee should have a role as the team's backup catcher. However, it's unclear how much he may be able to contribute at the dish as he is hitless across four at-bats and maintained just a .704 OPS at Triple-A Sugar Land prior to being recalled.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Earns first career call-up
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Lee was called up by the Astros on Friday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Lee is a fairly interesting prospect, with an excellent arm and good raw power, but there are questions about his hit tool. He hasn't had success at the Triple-A level, hitting .226/.285/.419 for Sugar Land through 64 games, good for just a 71 wRC+. He's presumably set to back up Martin Maldonado with Jason Castro (knee) landing on the injured list.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Slow start at Sugar Land
Rotowire
Lee has produced a .219/.272/.400 slash line across 114 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season.
Lee struggled to hit for power to begin the 2022 campaign, picking up only three extra-base hits across his first 12 games. However, he has collected three home runs and nine doubles in his last nine starts. On the other hand, his strikeout rate has ticked up to 26.3 percent, a considerable increase from his 17.2 percent figure at Double-A Corpus Christi in 2021. Even so, Lee is Houston's top catching prospect and now has 152 plate appearances at Triple-A, so he could make his big-league debut this season if either Jason Castro or Martin Maldonado suffers an injury.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Sent to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Lee was reassigned to Houston's minor-league spring training Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Lee was in camp with the big-league club but was never a likely bet to make the Opening Day roster. He hit .254/.320/.443 with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 50 games for Double-A Corpus Christi before receiving a September promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land, where he's likely to open 2022.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Bumped up to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros promoted Lee from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.
Houston's top catching prospect will advance to his third affiliate of the season after beginning the campaign at High-A Asheville. Since receiving a promotion to Double-A in mid-June, Lee hit .254 with eight home runs and three stolen bases while walking at an 8.4 percent clip.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Returns to Double-A lineup
Rotowire
Lee (oblique) went 2-for-6 in his first two games with Double-A Corpus Christi since being reinstated from the team's 7-day injured list Thursday.
Lee was sidelined for just under a month with an oblique strain. Since his June 14 promotion from High-A Asheville, Houston's top catching prospect is hitting .263 with eight home runs and 25 RBI in 47 games for the Double-A affiliate.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Lands on injured list
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Double-A Corpus Christi placed Lee on its 7-day injured list Wednesday with an oblique strain, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Lee's injury is considered minor, but he'll still be sidelined for at least a week. The 23-year-old was promoted to Double-A in mid-June and has slashed .261/.333/.467 with eight home runs, 25 RBI, 24 runs and two stolen bases in 45 games since his promotion.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Earns promotion to Double-A
Rotowire
Lee was promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Houston selected Lee with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 draft. The backstop slashed .268/.359/.371 with three homers in rookie ball during 64 games in 2019 and has continued to progress at the plate this season. After last year's minor-league season was cancelled, Lee put together a .330/.402/.459 slash line with three homers, five doubles and 13 RBI in 29 games at High-A Asheville to start 2021. He figures to make his debut with Corpus Christi in the coming days.
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Astros' Korey Lee: Joins player pool
Rotowire
Lee was added to the Astros' 60-man roster Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Lee was selected by the Astros with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, and he'll now work at the team's alternate training site for developmental purposes to close out the 2020 season. The 22-year-old hit .266/.356/.380 with 29 RBI and a 10.6 percent walk rate in rookie ball last season during his first year in the minors.
