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.
