Astros Option Cole to Triple-A as Matthews Earns Opening Day Roster Spot

Brice Matthews made the Astros' Opening Day roster over Zach Cole, who has been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land, The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported on Tuesday. The transaction ends a spring training competition that had real stakes for both prospects and sets up the 2026 Houston outfield picture in a way that rewards versatility over raw tools.

Cole entered camp looking like a strong candidate to break with the club, but his spring numbers told a different story. He slashed .200/.340/.400 in 50 plate appearances, and after going down on strikes in 35% of his minor league plate appearances and 38.5% of his big league turns in 2025, Cole punched out in 20 of his 50 spring plate appearances — a 40% strikeout rate that made the decision difficult to argue against.

Matthews, a former first-round pick, hit .250/.400/.417 this spring, and the Astros' early schedule — featuring a stretch of left-handed starters — made the right-handed-hitting Matthews the logical choice to begin the year. The 24-year-old has mostly played infield in the minors but worked in the outfield during spring training and figures to open his first full major league season in a super-utility role. While Matthews was drafted as a shortstop, the Astros' glut of infielders has pushed him into outfield duty.

The Astros got a secondary piece of good news Tuesday as well: shortstop Jeremy Peña, whose fractured right ring finger had created a roster mess entering camp, also made the Opening Day roster. Several Astros made their first career Opening Day rosters, including Brice Matthews and Joey Loperfido among the position players.

The Cole demotion is a roster management call, not a verdict on his ceiling. Cole appeared in 97 total minor league games in 2025 between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, slashing a combined .279/.377/.539 with 22 doubles, seven triples, 19 home runs, 65 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Promoted to Sugar Land on August 25, he appeared in 15 games with the Space Cowboys and slashed .353/.459/.745 with five home runs and 16 RBI. That performance forced Houston's hand in September, and in 15 games with the Astros, he posted an .880 OPS with four home runs. Cole was named the Houston Astros Minor League Player of the Year for 2025.

Cole has obvious power and speed but will need to make more contact to carve out a lasting role. His strikeout propensity is what cost him a spot on the Opening Day roster; he hits the ball very hard and generates strong exit velocity, but the swing-and-miss is highly concerning and he has only 51 career plate appearances at Triple-A. More regular at-bats in Sugar Land are the prescription.

At Triple-A Sugar Land in 2025, Matthews hit 17 home runs and stole 41 bases in 498 plate appearances, and the Astros believe he is the heir apparent to Jose Altuve at second base. The club opens its 2026 campaign Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels.