Houston Astros Sign Former All-Star & Gold Glover

He was a first-round pick, the runner-up for Rookie of the Year, made the All-Star game in his freshman campaign, and won five Gold Gloves. But for 35-year-old Jason Heyward, his career just never maintained that All-Star kind of status the way many had hoped. He was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, but the right fielder has hooked up with another World Series hopeful, in Houston.

Jason Heyward is heading to the American League for the first time in his career. He's about to sign with the Houston Astros, per @brianmctaggart
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 27, 2024

Throughout a 15-year career, this will be Heyward's first time in the American League, as he's been with the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Dodgers.

This season with LA, he was batting .208 with a .289 on-base percentage and a .682 OPS (an OPS+ of 91).

With Kyle Tucker going down nearly three months ago with a shin injury, and his MVP-like season cut short, the Astros have been struggling to fill that void in the outfield ever since.

The Astros have rotated through a myriad of players in RF, including Chas McCormick, Trey Cabbage, Joey Loperfido, Mauricio Dubón, Pedro León and Ben Gamel. Combined, they have slashed just .224/.276/.346 with five home runs.

They're counting on Heyward to produce at least at that clip, while adding his strong defense and another veteran leader for the clubhouse.

The Astros carry a 3 1/2-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West into Tuesday's games.