The Houston Astros officially called up Brice Matthews on Thursday afternoon. The 23-year-old has experience all over the infield, with second base and shortstop as his primary positions. Houston's No. 1 prospect, Matthews figures to step into an immediate role for the AL West division leaders. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart broke the news:
Source: The Astros are calling up No. 1 prospect Brice Matthews to join the team Friday, MLB. com has learned. Matthews is slashing .283/.400/.476 with 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 25 steals at Triple-A, while playing mostly 2B. Matthews was set to play in Futures Game.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 10, 2025
This is naturally exciting for Astros fans. Matthews has been extremely productive in Triple-A, slashing .283/.400/.476 with 10 home runs, 39 RBIs and 25 steals. He flashes all five tools on the baseball diamond and gives Houston immediate relief with Jeremy Peña on the 10-day IL.
But you don't call up your top prospect just to fill in for an injured star for a few games. Matthews is here to stay — at least, that is assuming the Astros don't trade him. With the deadline a few weeks away and a few holes left to plug on the Houston roster, it will be fascinating to see which direction the Astros go with Matthews. Just know: all signs point toward Houston cruising to yet another division crown and a top seed in the postseason.
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Astros have options after calling up No. 1 prospect Brice Matthews
The Astros currently own the No. 2 seed in the American League, with a 6.5-game lead over second place Seattle in their division. With last season looking more like a fluke than the new norm, we know what to expect from Houston at this point. It's an experienced roster with a ton of talent, both young and old.
Of all the teams making noise in the AL right now, you'd be hard-pressed to find one in a better position to push deep into October than Houston. It's what the Astros do.
Matthews' arrival just makes the rich richer. He can fill it at short for Peña in the short term, but once the Astros' All-Star shortstop is back, one has to imagine Matthews will slide right over to second base, with Jose Altuve either moving back to left field or taking on DH duties. It generally takes time for rookies to hit their stride at the MLB level, but Matthews — the league's No. 98 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline — feels like he's ready for the moment.
He's just another difference-maker for a lineup full of difference-makers. That is, unless the Astros use the next few weeks to build up Matthews' trade value. If Matthews comes into the big leagues raking, he's bound to generate a lot of external interest. Meanwhile, the Astros have plenty of motivation to swing for the fences at the trade deadline. Any blockbuster trade will start with Matthews.
That admittedly feels less likely, but the Astros aren't exactly known to hoard prospects. Dana Brown has done his best to work within financial restraints these last couple years, but he's an aggressive GM at heart and the Astros won multiple World Series on the backs of grade-A superstars. If the right high-impact veteran becomes available in Houston's price range, Matthews certainly won't be untouchable.
Whether it ends up being a full-time promotion for Matthews or simply the prelude to a trade, this is a huge positive signal to Astros fans. This team has the AL West on lock right now.