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Cole went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-3 loss to the Dodgers.
Making his first major-league appearance this season, Cole provided the Astros with one of their few bright spots Monday with his fifth-inning homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto. With Taylor Trammell (groin), Joey Loperfido (quadriceps) and Jake Meyers (oblique) all on the IL, the left-handed hitting Cole is poised to see regular playing time in Houston's outfield, particularly against right-handed pitching. Cole impressed in a 15-game stint with the Astros last season, where he slashed .255/.327/.553 with four homers, 11 RBI, nine runs scored and three steals across 52 plate appearances.
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Astros' Zach Cole: Back in big leagues
Rotowire
The Astros recalled Cole (toe) from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.
Cole came up short in his bid for a spot on the Opening Day roster and then fractured a toe early on in the season with Sugar Land. Though he had been on Sugar Land's 7-day injured list, Cole is healthy again after going 5-for-20 with three extra-base hits and five walks during a six-game rehab assignment with Single-A Fayetteville. The Astros have been mixing and matching in center field and left field since Jake Meyers (oblique) and Joey Loperfido (quadriceps) landed on the shelf, and Cole should push for reps at one or both of those positions. He'll draw the start in left and will bat eighth in Monday's series opener versus the Dodgers.
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Astros' Zach Cole: Beginning rehab assignment
Rotowire
Cole (toe) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fayetteville on Thursday.
Cole opened the season at Triple-A Round Rock after failing to make the Astros' Opening Day roster. He then suffered a broken toe in the third game of the season after going 1-for-9 with a solo homer and 2:4 BB:K across 12 trips to the plate. With all four of Jake Meyers (oblique), Taylor Trammell (groin), Joey Loperfido (quadriceps) and Zach Dezenzo (elbow) on the injured list, Cole has missed out on a chance to play with the big-league club early in the season. He still could be an option to be recalled if his rehab goes smoothly.
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Astros' Zach Cole: Suffers broken toe
Rotowire
Cole has been ruled out indefinitely after fracturing a toe on his right foot during Monday's game against Triple-A Round Rock, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Cole suffered the injury in the fourth inning of Monday's matchup after being struck by a pitch. A timeline for Cole's return will likely depend on whether or not he requires surgery to repair the broken toe, but regardless, the outfielder is most likely headed for a stint on Triple-A Sugar Land's injured list. One of Houston's top prospects, Cole posted an .880 OPS in 52 plate appearances in his first taste of the majors late last season and was in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring.
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Astros' Zach Cole: Misses out on Opening Day roster
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Cole to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday.
Over the final two and a half weeks of the 2025 season, Cole turned some heads by producing a .255/.327/.553 slash line in his first taste of the big leagues, though it came with a bloated 38.5 percent strikeout rate. After Cole continued to strike out at a 40 percent clip during the Grapefruit League and was unable to provide enough power (.200 ISO) to compensate for it, the Astros will elect to send the 25-year-old back to Triple-A for further refinement. Houston will carry Brice Matthews on its Opening Day roster as a fourth outfielder and backup infielder.
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Astros' Zach Cole: Heating up in spring
Rotowire
Cole has gone 3-for-10 with a home run in his last three Grapefruit League contests.
While Cole is starting to turn things around at the plate, it's been a quiet spring for the outfielder overall -- he's now batting .192 (5-for-26) with a .641 OPS and four steals in 11 games. The 25-year-old Cole remains in competition with Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido and Brice Matthews for Houston's final outfield spot.
Cole will compete to be the Astros' starting left fielder in spring training, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
Cole made a good impression in a 15-game stint with Houston late last season, posting an .880 OPS with four home runs and three stolen bases. With Jake Meyers slated to man center field and Jesus Sanchez in right, the Astros' final outfield spot should come down to either Cole or Cam Smith, with the loser likely to open the year in Triple-A.
Cole went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk, a stolen base and a second run scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Angels.
Cole has swiped a bag in three straight games, which accounts for all of his steals in the majors this year. He's added four homers, 11 RBI and nine runs scored while batting .279 and slugging .605 over 47 plate appearances in his first taste of the majors. Cole will likely need to supplement this late-season audition with a strong spring training, but he's certainly in the mix to begin 2026 in the majors.
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