Zach Cole has been on a molten-hot tear in the upper minors over the second half of the season. Now, the Astros will see if they can tap into his hot streak over the final weeks of the regular season. The Astros are calling up Cole, their No. 22 prospect, according to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. The 25-year-old outfielder is expected to join the team Friday night.
After spending most of the season with Double-A, Houston promoted Cole to Triple-A in late August and he posted a 1.204 OPS with five homers in 15 games. All in, Cole slashed .267/.363/.505 with 14 homers and 15 steals across 82 games between the two levels, though his 129 strikeouts in 82 games poses a concern. Last month, Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes identified Cole’s significant gain in exit velocity since 2024. Perhaps his power-speed combo can help the Astros as they try to hold off the Mariners and Rangers in the AL West.