Correa to McCormick: 'I’m impressed'

ARLINGTON -- Astros shortstop Carlos Correa was so impressed with the work done by rookie outfielder Chas McCormick in a limited amount of playing time this year that he decided to give his teammate a meaningful compliment Saturday.

“Correa came up to me and said, ‘Hey man, I’m impressed with you. You have a couple of at-bats every week, and it’s cool that you stay in it and fight and look good up there,’” McCormick said. “It’s just being mentally and physically ready every day.”

McCormick started in center field Saturday against the Rangers and went 2-for-4 with an opposite-field homer to right off Jordan Lyles in the second inning. That gave the Astros a three-run lead, but the bullpen couldn't hold on to the lead in a messy 8-4 loss at Globe Life Field.

Still, McCormick is making the most of his limited playing time and is 4-for-11 in his last three starts with two homers and six RBIs.

“You’re always prepared every single day,” he said. “You activate, get yourself ready. You never know when you’re going to get in. They gave me an opportunity, and I was ready to go.”

McCormick’s numbers won’t jump off the stat line, but he seems to make a mark whenever he’s on the field. He’s hitting .211 with a .279 on-base percentage in 43 plate appearances, but he has a .779 OPS. He’s homered three times and driven in 13 runs.

That’s what caught the eye of Correa.

“It meant a lot; it was cool,” McCormick said. “He was like, ‘Man, I’m impressed with you.’ I said, ‘What? With the oppo taco?’ He said, ‘No, you get a couple of at-bats every week and you look good up there.’ It meant a lot to me. I’m really pleased he said that to me.”

McCormick could push for more playing time in the outfield with center fielder Myles Straw carrying a .576 OPS through Saturday. Unlike Straw, McCormick has some power, but he can play all three outfield spots, which makes him valuable off the bench. Astros manager Dusty Baker said pregame he preferred Straw in center field because he’s a better defender.

“It’s not really up to me,” McCormick said. “It’s up to the coaching staff. But you know, whoever is out there, it’s the best team that can get out there and win some games. [Whether] it’s me or Straw, I think both of us are doing a great job.”

Baker was non-committal when asked if McCormick might play more.

“I’ll worry about that later,” he said. “I put him in there enough to keep him sharp.”

McCormick, a 21st-round Draft pick in 2017, appeared in 110 games in 2019 between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Round Rock, hitting .269 with six doubles, six triples, 14 homers, 66 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. He played seven games in the Dominican Republic last winter and had his season cut short when he suffered a Grade 2 quad strain. Those were the only games McCormick had played in since 2019 prior to this year.

“I’m pretty passionate about how I get ready every day,” he said. “Starting every game or coming off the bench, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m not surprised at all. But I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve got to keep going.”