Houston Astros: 1 trade, 1 signing and 1 prospect to win the World Series

Astros rumors: Korey Lee is a prospect to watch

After seeing action in 12 games last season, the 24-year-old Lee is expected to see a higher amount of playing time in 2023 as the Astros see if he or Yainer Díaz can provide a long-term answer for the franchise behind the plate.

Martín Maldonado will certainly get the lion’s share of work at catcher this season, but Lee, a first-round pick for the Astros back in 2019, has been viewed as the future for Houston at the position for some time. With Maldonado playing in his age-36 season and his contract expiring at the end of this year, the Astros need to see if their faith in Lee will be rewarded.

Lee slashed just .160/.192/.240 in 2022, but only received 26 plate appearances the entire campaign. That number is almost certain to go up this year, so how Lee performs will be interesting to watch. Díaz could also see some time behind the plate as well, but he could also spend some time at first base, something that has been whispered as potentially his future after Jose Abreu’s contract expires in three seasons.

The backup catcher (and perhaps catcher of the future) position is there for Lee this season. Keep an eye on the battle in spring training between Lee and Díaz to see who emerges, but Lee looks to have an early edge. Can he keep it and take advantage of it? The Astros certainly hope so as they will need more than Maldonado as a go-to option this year.