The Astros released Dirden on Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Dirden was one of the stars of Houston's training camp in 2023 but dealt with injuries at Triple-A last season and slashed .231/.314/.396 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI over 364 plate appearances. The 26-year-old outfielder will look to catch on with another organization for 2024.
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Astros' Justin Dirden: Struggling since return at Triple-A
Rotowire
Dirden (hamstring) has gone 2-for-21 with a double and 2:9 BB:K in six games since being reinstated from Triple-A Sugar Land's 7-day injured list July 16.
Dirden has looked rusty since returning to action at Sugar Land following a three-plus-week layoff, but he at least appears to be feeling fine physically after suffering a hamstring strain in late June. The 26-year-old outfielder is considered one of the Astros' top position prospects and could get a look with the big club in August or September if he can eventually regain his early-season form at the plate. Dirden has posted a .789 OPS across 277 plate appearances overall with Sugar Land in 2023.
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Astros' Justin Dirden: Recovering from hamstring injury
Rotowire
Triple-A Sugar Land placed Dirden on its 7-day injured list June 23 due to a hamstring injury.
The Astros didn't provide a formal explanation behind Dirden's placement on the Triple-A IL, but his wife, Abby, revealed in a recent post on her personal Twitter account that the outfielder is dealing with a "low-grade hamstring pull." Assuming that's the case, Dirden should be ready to return to action at some point shortly after the minor-league All-Star break. The 25-year-old Dirden is slashing .276/.345/.489 with nine home runs and four stolen bases across 253 plate appearances at Sugar Land this season.
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Astros' Justin Dirden: Reassigned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Dirden was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Astros on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McTaggart notes that Dirden will begin the season with Triple-A Sugar Land. The outfielder impressed with his defense and bat -- the latter leading to a 1.043 OPS in 40 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League -- but he'll head to the minors to get regular playing time. There's a very good chance Dirden will see at-bats with the Astros in 2023 over the summer, if not sooner.
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Astros' Justin Dirden: Continues to impress in camp
Rotowire
Astros manager Dusty Baker said that Dirden has "impressed from day one" in spring camp, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
"[Dirden] has that quiet confidence," Baker said. "He can play all three outfield positions, he can run, he can throw. There's not much he can't do on the baseball field." In 14 games with the Astros during the Grapefruit League, Dirden has slashed .333/.462/.714 with a pair of homers and a stolen base over 26 plate appearances. The 26-year-old also impressed in the minors in 2022 with a .924 OPS and 24 homers with Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, so this does not completely come out of nowhere. Dirden is still battling for a roster spot, but even if he doesn't make the Astros out of camp, he has put himself on the radar for coming seasons.
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Astros' Justin Dirden: Making roster push
Rotowire
Dirden is making a push this spring to make the big-league roster, Brian McTaggert of MLB.com reports.
We already knew Dirden was impressing manager Dusty Baker early in camp, but McTaggert makes the case that Dirden could be up on Opening Day with Michael Brantley (shoulder) slated to open the year on the injured list. Dirden is hitting .333/.444/.706 with two home runs and a 6:2 K:BB in 15 at-bats. He can play all three outfield spots and will turn 26 in July, so while he doesn't have much experience at Triple-A, the Astros will have him under club control through his entire prime even if they add him to the 40-man roster this spring.
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Astros' Justin Dirden: Impressing team
Rotowire
Dirden has impressed manager Dusty Baker with his performance early in spring training, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Dirden has earned a substantial amount of playing time so far, and he's taken advantage by crushing two home runs across eight plate appearances. He's a 25-year-old prospect that reached Triple-A Sugar Land by the close of the 2022 season, though he struggled to a .242/.305/.398 slash line while striking out at a 28.2 percent clip across 142 plate appearances. Dirden is unlikely to earn a roster spot with the Astros out of spring training barring an injury to one of Houston's regulars, but he could make his big-league debut at some point in 2023.
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Astros' Justin Dirden: Bumped up to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros promoted Dirden from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.
Sugar Land had an opening in the outfield after the Astros recently dealt Jose Siri to the Rays, and Dirden was summoned from Double-A to fill the void. After going undrafted in 2020 and not making his professional debut until 2021 on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dirden has rocketed through the Astros' system and put himself on the radar in dynasty leagues in the process. The 25-year-old outfielder has been one of the more productive hitters in the Texas League in 2022, slashing .324/.411/.616 with 20 home runs and seven stolen bases across 407 plate appearances.
