The Houston Astros will start the second half with a new player on the roster. Twenty-three-year-old Lucas Spence, a nice find for Houston’s amateur scouting department from two years ago, joined the Astros roster after he raced up the organization ladder in two years.

A Look at Spence

Two years ago, the Astros signed OF Lucas Spence as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Now, the 23-year-old made it up to the Majors after he hit well at almost every level he performed in since he went pro.

After he batted .200 with Low-A in 2024, Spence slashed .286/.450/.377 with Fayetteville to move up to Asheville. Between High-A and Double-A, Spence hit 10 home runs, stole 16 bases, and walked 55 times over 93 contests after moving up from Low-A, and that put him on the path to success.

Spence slashed .269/.371/.433 with 10 stolen bases and 17 extra-base hits before a move up to Triple-A Sugar Land. He only spent 17 games with the Space Cowboys before the move, and slashed .246/.313/.386.

During that brief run, Spence showed a lot of swing-and-miss against soft stuff, including a 54% Whiff% on changeups and a 47% Whiff% on sliders. That is rather evident when looking at where he was vulnerable, as he rarely missed on pitches inside. However, he did have problems with pitches outside and out of the zone.

Simple, straightforward approach for Spence, a pure line-drive hitter with some pop. That’s evident with his swing path and the raw numbers. Last season with Asheville, Spence ranked just outside the top 25 in the SAL in LD% (26.1%), and that does bode well with respect to his ability to push balls into the outfield.

That total was a tad lower in Double-A this season, at 23%. But one thing that is true, and that’s clear above, is that if it’s in the zone and within his reach, Spence can hit. His swing-and-miss rate was a tick below 22% in Double-A before the move up.

Defensively, Spence played all three outfield positions, with the majority of that time being spent in center. Spence played in 110 games (108 starts) in center between 2024 and 2026.

The Astros selected the contract of Lucas Spence on July 17.

Analysis

In the immediate future, the Astros will need Spence, as Brice Matthews was placed on the IL with a knee sprain on the 17th of July.

There is a bright future for Spence, someone who doesn’t profile as someone who will be a middle-of-the-lineup hitter but rather one who should fit in as a bottom-of-the-lineup bat who can slot in, make contact, and play around the field.

He also joins a younger Astros outfield, one that includes Matthews, Cam Smith, plus Zach Dezenzo and Zach Cole as depth options.

Check out more of our MLB coverage.