The Astros have actually traded outfielder Corey Julks to the White Sox, per statements from both clubs. The Astros, who designated Julks for project recently, will get minors right-hander Luis Rodriguez in return. Julks has actually been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. To open a 40-man area for Julks, the Sox designated outfielder Rafael Ortega for project and remembered outfielder Dominic Fletcher to take Ortega’s area on the active lineup.

Julks, 28, was an eighth-round choice of the Astros back in 2017 and wasn’t actually thought about a really notable possibility in the years following that choice. He put himself on the radar with a strong 2022 season, striking 31 crowning achievement and taking 22 bases in 130 Triple-A video games. In the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, his .270/.351/.503 batting line resulted in a 108 wRC+.

That got him to the major leagues in 2023 however he didn’t instantly strike the ground running in the majors. He stepped to the plate 323 times for the Astros in 2015 and struck .245/.297/.352 for a wRC+ of 80, though he likewise took 15 bases and got strong grades for his outfield defense.

He’s been back at Triple-A this year and has another 5 crowning achievement and 6 more takes in 31 video games. His 12.8% walk rate is a couple of points greater than the 9.5% rate he had in 2022. His total production this year is thought about to be around league average for the PCL, however it’s an interesting mix of abilities.

Despite the intriguing statistics, Julks is 28 years of ages now and was obstructed by a congested outfield mix in Houston, so they pushed him off their lineup. The White Sox have much more of a requirement and more of a capability to gamble on a gamer like Julks, provided their status as a restoring club.

Giving playing time to a veteran can accept a favorable outcome, as the Sox simply recently traded Robbie Grossman to the Rangers for Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. A comparable course with a gamer like Ortega would have been perfect however he struck .071/.176/.071 in his 17 plate looks for the Sox in current weeks and wasn’t trending towards any sort of Grossman-like return. The Sox chose it was a much better usage of a lineup area to get Julks and see how things opt for him, while providing Ortega’s area on the active lineup to Fletcher.

Julks still has 2 choices, implying he might possibly be sent out to Triple-A for the rest of this year and another. He likewise has less than a year of service time, implying he can be inexpensively kept for the foreseeable future.

For now, Fletcher will share the major league playing time with guys like Andrew Benintendi, Tommy Pham and Gavin Sheets. Pham is on a one-year offer and will be a trade prospect this summertime. Sheets might possibly be on the block too given that he’ll reach arbitration for the very first time this winter season and has actually remained in great type this year. That might possibly open some playing time for Julks later on in the year, though the ultimate return of Luis Robert Jr. from the hurt list will likewise be an aspect. Oscar Colás and Zach DeLoach are likewise on the 40-man however neither is carrying out particularly well on optional project today.

For the Astros, they have  Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers, Mauricio Dubon, Joey Loperfido and Trey Cabbage in their outfield mix, with possibility Pedro León banging on the door too. Since pitching depth is a higher issue for them, they just recently got Alex Speas off waivers and release Julks.

By doing so, they were at least able to include a pitching possibility to their system. The 20-year-old Rodriguez tossed 33 innings over 15 looks in the Dominican Summer League in 2015 with a 3.55 made run typical, 32.6% strikeout rate and 4.3% walk rate. In January, he got a quick reference on the FanGraphs list of leading White Sox possibility from Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin. They kept in mind that Rodriguez has a fastball in the 88-90 miles per hour variety and a strong curveball.

The Sox will now have a week to trade Ortega or pass him through waivers. He was signed to a minors offer this winter season and contributed to the lineup in late April. He has actually gotten erratic playing time which hasn’t worked out for him, as discussed. He has adequate service time that he can turn down a straight-out project and choose complimentary company. He had a strong season with the Cubs in 2021, striking .291/.360/.463 while taking 12 bases and investing a great deal of time in center field. But he struck .241/.331/.358 the next year and got non-tendered, with just restricted major league looks ever since.