Dusty Baker denies concerns surrounding Astros outfielder Chas McCormick's weight - "I wouldn’t bring him banana pudding if I was concerned" 

The Houston Astros completed a series sweep against AL West rivals Texas Rangers to reestablish their dominance in the AL West after suffering back-to-back series defeats against the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

While the team is on a record-breaking spree on the field, things aren't as rosy behind the scenes. According to a report by Chandler Rome of The Athletic, manager Dusty Baker was not keen on starting the red-hot Chas McCormick, with concerns surrounding the outfielder's weight.

The report of a rift between the duo took the media by storm with Astros fans lashing out against the veteran manager. However, the latest report by Rome had Baker refuting all claims of a spat with McCormick.

“As far as me not liking Chas, I don’t understand where that’s coming from at all. And it’s caused kind of a storm out there, which is unnecessary, totally unnecessary. And it seems like if somebody got something against me, they ought to just use it against me and not use my players against me. That is so wrong.

Baker went as far as highlighting the game time McCormick has been getting this season despite injury concerns to the 2022 World Series champion.

“And then it said I hadn’t played him. He’s played 42 out of 50 games. That’s one day off a week, every seven days. That’s a lot of play. And plus, I pride myself in putting guys in a situation where they’re most likely to succeed, wherever it is, offensively, defensively.”

“As far as his weight is concerned, if I had something against him with his weight, you could ask him, I wouldn’t bring him banana pudding once a week.

"But I take care of my guys, and I’d appreciate it if people would stop trying to help me manage, cause I think I know what I’m doing. And I take care of my players the same way they take care of me.”

Astros start Chas McCormick for Friday's series opener against the Padres

The red-hot centerfielder was named in Astros' starting lineup on Friday for the series opener against the San Diego Padres.

McCormick entered Friday's game with the third-highest OPS (on-base plus slugging) among a star-studded Astros hitting lineup (.898) along with the seventh-most plate appearances (384).

He became the fifth Astros player to hit 20 homers this season, after smashing a home run against the Rangers as a late replacement in the final game of the series.