Jose Espada, Astros guilty of malpractice with latest roster move

It's been a rough go for the Houston Astros, who after losing two crushing games in a row, are 30-37 on the year entering play on Tuesday. They're 5.5 games out of a postseason spot so their season isn't close to over, but it's time for them to turn things around. It's been time, really.

One way for the Astros to start winning at the rate they have to is for them to show some urgency. They don't even have to do this by making a trade or an aggressive call-up. They can simply field the best 26 healthy players on their active roster. After Tuesday's roster move, they are not doing that.

It was reported earlier that the Astros were going to promote Cesar Salazar to the majors as their starting catcher Yainer Diaz was nursing a finger injury. Getting another catcher to the majors with Diaz unable to play makes sense, but sending Joey Loperfido back down to the minors is where the Astros make no sense.

Latest Astros roster move makes absolutely no sense

Loperfido, Houston's No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was promoted for his second stint in the majors this season on June 8. By June 11, he was sent back down. He did not take a single at-bat in the two games he was with the team. His only appearance came as a pinch runner on Monday when he was inexplicably used as a pinch runner and not a pinch hitter.

Sending Loperfido down wouldn't have been a huge deal had he not been deserving of a roster spot. However, not only has he dominated AAA this season, but he has 13 hits in his 39 MLB at-bats this season, hitting .333 in 15 games played. Meanwhile, Jose Abreu has a total of one more hit in 71 more at-bats. He's hitting .127 on the year. Sure, he's played a bit better since his short minors stint, but he's hitting .180 in his 39 at-bats since returning.

I get it. Abreu is making a ton of money not only this season, but next season as well. He's a former MVP winner and a three-time All-Star. With that being said, he's clearly not that guy anymore. How he gets as long of a leash as he has had while Loperfido, a player who has thrived with his limited playing time is sent down, is beyond me.

Even if the Astros don't trust Loperfido's defense at first base, Abreu is a poor defender there in his own right. Houston also has Jon Singleton, Mauricio Dubon, and Trey Cabbage who have experience at the position. Continuing to not only roster Abreu, but start him, while letting Loperfido go up and down from the majors to the minors is simply malpractice at this point.