How Much Longer of a Leash Can the Astros Give Cam Smith?

When the Houston Astros traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs ahead of the 2025 season, they were assuredly receiving quite the haul for a one-year rental. In return for Tucker, Houston acquired All-Star infielder Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski, and the No. 14 overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft, infielder Cam Smith.

Coming out of Florida State, Smith was viewed as a polished bat who had the chance to move quickly through the minor leagues and reach the big leagues in a hurry. Well, that certainly came to fruition, as he appeared in 32 minor league games in the Cubs’ organization during his draft year. That winter, he was traded to the Astros, and the following spring, he made the Opening Day roster.

Even with Paredes being the proven major leaguer who made an All-Star appearance the year prior and whose profile seemed to fit perfectly at Daikin Park, there was a group of people who viewed the recent draftee in Smith as the centerpiece of the deal.

So, how has the first year and a half of Cam Smith’s career been?

Not great.

A Bumpy Start To Smith’s MLB Career

The 23-year-old is currently slashing .204/.280/.360 with an 80 wRC+ this season. For his career, he has posted just a .657 OPS and an 86 wRC+. Smith does have 13 home runs on the year, but outside of his +6 Outs Above Average in right field, there haven’t been many positives to take away from his game.

Smith is chasing and whiffing nearly 30% of the time, striking out at almost a 25% clip, and walking at just an 8% rate. Right now, Cam Smith simply is not putting together quality at-bats. And the worst part of it all? Things are not getting better.

After a really poor start to the season, it appeared as though the young outfielder was beginning to turn things around, posting a .737 OPS in June. However, as the calendar turned to July, Smith has posted an abysmal .452 OPS while hitting just .123.

Smith has a wRC+ of 26 in the month of July, meaning he is currently 74% worse than the league average hitter during that span.

With this now being the second year of below-average production from Smith, you have to start wondering how much longer of a leash he will have.

How Much Longer of a Leash Can the Astros Give Cam Smith?

The good news for Smith is that Houston’s corner outfield situation is pretty bleak at the moment, and there is nobody in the minor leagues threatening to replace him right now.

With the trade deadline fast approaching, if the Astros decide to buy — which all signs point toward given the weakness of the American League — you have to think they will look to add both pitching and an outfield bat. If they do add an outfielder, who comes out of the lineup: Smith or Taylor Trammell?

You would have to think that, in an effort to avoid stunting the development of a player they hoped would be a building block of the future, the Astros would prefer not to sit Smith. But could a demotion be on the horizon?

If you are seriously trying to contend, and the Astros are currently a game out of the final Wild Card spot and just a game back of the Rangers for the division lead in the AL West, do you prefer Trammell and his OPS that actually eclipses the .700 mark?

That can certainly be debated, but at the very least, Smith needs to continue receiving regular at-bats somewhere. If the choice is taking him off the field, then sending him down may be the better option. This is a player who essentially skipped the minor leagues and is expected to have a significant role with the organization moving forward. He needs time to develop, and he cannot do that sitting on the bench.

Cam Smith is only in his second season of Major League Baseball. Nobody is suggesting it is time to give up on him entirely, but are we reaching a point where it is time to acknowledge that the 2026 season may be a lost developmental year and make a difficult decision to help him improve?

I think we could be. And the trade deadline may provide the Astros with the answer to that very question.

Stats and rankings were taken prior to play on July 30.