Houston Astros end Niko Goodrum error

Niko Goodrum made plenty of sense for the Houston Astros during the offseason.

They were set to head into the 2022 season with an unproven commodity in Jeremy Pena at short. While Pena may have been considered a top prospect, with Baseball America ranking him as high as the 16th best prospect during the 2021-22 offseason, a veteran fallback option was worth having. As Goodrum also provided defensive versatility, he seemed to be the perfect option in Houston.

Houston Astros move on from Niko Goodrum

It turned out that he was unnecessary. Not only did Pena hit the ground running this season, but Goodrum was a complete disaster. He had just five hits with two doubles in his 45 plate appearances, drawing two walks while striking out 23 times. His ability to play anywhere on the diamond did not matter at that point as he was entirely unplayable before being sent to the minors.

He had appeared to be playing his way back into a possible role in Houston. Goodrum had a .311/.500/.511 batting line in his 64 plate appearances for Sugar Land, hitting two homers and three doubles while drawing 17 walks with just 14 strikeouts. However, a hamstring injury ended his hopes of making a quick return to the majors. Now he has been designated for assignment as the Astros needed his roster spot for their September callups.

This leaves Goodrum in a difficult spot. He is unlikely to be claimed as teams may not want to take on the rest of his salary. He is also likely to end up in free agency this offseason after three consecutive subpar seasons where he has a combined 68 OPS+ with 14 homers and 20 doubles in his 549 plate appearances, striking out 199 times. He could end up signing a minor league contract in hopes of making an impression during spring training, but may end up heading overseas to attempt to resurrect his career.

Niko Goodrum made sense for the Houston Astros heading into the 2022 season. That signing just turned out to be a disaster.