(SportsRadio 610) -- Suddenly, Astros rookie outfielder Chas McCormick has gone from a luxury bench player to a much-needed contributor.
McCormick made his MLB debut on Opening Day as a defensive replacement in left field.
But he is not just the guy subbing for Michael Brantley, Kyle Tucker, or Myles Straw. He's becoming one of their more reliable power hitters these days.
Take Wednesday night's 8-4 win against the Texas Rangers, for example. The Astros were already without Tucker, for whom McCormick played in right field. And third baseman Alex Bregman left the game in the first inning with a quad injury that landed him on the 10-day injured list.
Adding to it, Aledmys Diaz is out for the next month with a hand injury.
So what does McCormick do for the short-handed Astros? Opposite field home run in his first at-bat in the second inning. Then another homer in the sixth inning to left-center field.
"McCormick continues to hit well," Astros manager Dusty Baker said after the game. "He's swinging with a lot of authority and swinging with a lot of confidence. So we need that, especially with Tucker out and now it looks like we've lost Bregman for a while."
McCormick became just the 12th Astros player to record a multi-homer game within their first 40 Major League games. Yordan Alvarez did it July 12, 2019, also against the Texas Rangers.
The rookie has eight home runs in 89 at-bats this season. On the Astros' most recent road trip, McCormick hit .400 (6-for-15) with a pair of homers.
After a disappointing 0-for-4 series opener against the Rangers on Tuesday, McCormick followed it by picking up where he left off when the Astros were on the road.
"First at-bat, going opposite field, really my strength is opposite field so it felt good," McCormick said of his first home run of the night. "The one to left-center even felt better because I have the tendency to roll over if I pull the ball and hit it with top spin. But it felt good to pull the ball and hit it with backspin. It was amazing. The fans were great. Our lineup was good. So it was pretty thrilling."
Brandon Scott covers Houston's sports scene and is the editor for SportsRadio610.com. Follow him on Twitter @brandonkscott.
