HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) - After spending the last week on a rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi, the Astros reinstated outfielder Chas McCormick from the 10-day injured list before Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels.
"I'm excited to be back," McCormick said. "We're playing really good baseball, so that's what really matters, and I just got to be able to do whatever I can to help this team win."
McCormick was placed on the IL on April 28 due to right hamstring discomfort, an injury that forced him to miss three games earlier in the month. He batted ninth and played left field on Tuesday..
A lot was expected from the 29-year-old following a season where he slashed .273/.353/.489, but McCormick struggled before his IL stint, though he declined the use his injured hamstring as an excuse.
"I didn't play well enough, and if I don't play good enough again since I'm back, I'm not gonna play," he said.
In 21 games this season, McCormick has slashed .236/.325/.278, which has led to an OPS drop of almost .240 points.
"If I can focus on driving the ball a little more, I can be in good shape," he said.
The Astros optioned Trey Cabbage to Triple-A Sugar Land to make room for McCormick on the active roster, part of a crowded outfield that includes rookie Joey Loperfido, and the surging Jake Meyers, who brought an .885 OPS into Tuesday's game.
"He's been playing great," McCormick said of Meyers. "He should play every day. We've been playing great, everyone's been playing great. We've been winning, so I'm happy to be back."
