Astros promote A.J. Reed

The Astros have called up first base prospect A.J. Reed from Triple-A Fresno, according to Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. Reed was drafted by the Astros in the second round of the 2014 Draft.

In 59 games and 252 plate appearances at Fresno, Reed was hitting .266/.345/.509. He also posted 11 home runs and 36 RBI during that time.

Currently, the Astros have Marwin Gonzalez playing first base, though he has been hitting .259/.315/.406 this season and has hit .258/.302/.387 over four plus seasons with the Astros.

Baseball America ranked Reed, 23, Houston’s top prospect. His body type resembles that of a 1B/DH type, though he has more range than the average first baseman. And though he is not exactly the fastest player, he has legged out a couple of triples from time to time, collecting seven in the minors.

While the Astros are 10 games out of first behind the Rangers in the AL West, they are also just 2.5 games back in the Wild Card. The Astros certainly don’t want to miss out on a chance to gain some ground on the Rangers or take the lead in the Wild Card race.

If Reed is ready, then he’s ready. The Pacific Coast League, where Triple-A Fresno plays, might be a hitter’s league, but there’s nothing left for Reed there if he keeps playing in a way that doesn’t add to his development.