3 Astros who won’t be on the roster by September 1

The Houston Astros are making a divisional push in August and they have a few players that may not survive the month on their active roster.

The Astros made the biggest splash of the trade deadline when they dealt away top prospects in order to land the starting pitcher they desperately needed. They added Justin Verlander to anchor their rotation.

But even with Verlander back in Houston, they need to continue to improve their roster past the deadline. This can be done through the farm system and by returning injured players, both potential options for Houston.

With the Astros looking to add players from the injured list and the top of their farm system, some of their major league talent is going to have to be optioned or designated for assignment.

Astros rumors: Grae Kessinger will be the first Astro to be optioned in August

The first Astro that will see his spot taken is the infielder, Grae Kessinger. Kessinger just hasn’t been very valuable with Houston this year and he doesn’t provide the offensive versatility or talent to contribute to a World Series-level team. To this point, he has just been a defensive substitute that doesn’t provide much offensively. With the glove, he has provided versatility across the infield, playing a bit of nearly everywhere.

With the bat, Kessinger is slashing .200/.314/.333 with just two extra-base hits in 30 at-bats. He’s worth 0.9 WAR and the Astros should be able to end up with better infield depth down the stretch, whether it comes from their own system or it comes from a player who is released down the stretch.

Kessinger is still young, as he’s just 25 years old and playing his first season in the MLB, but the Astros need as much talent that can produce right now as they can get. His time in an Astros uniform is far from over but the reigning champs will be active in their farm system and free agency to replace their infield depth with a more productive hitter.