Houston Astros fans confused as outfielder Chas McCormick going on IL with back injury: "So it’s his back now and not his vision?"

Houston Astros v Minnesota Twins
Chas McCormick of the Houston Astros rounds the bases on his two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins.

Houston Astros fans are doing a double take at the news that outfielder Chas McCormick is heading to the injured list with a back injury.

You'll have to forgive Astros fans if they are a bit confused, but they were originally told by the organization that McCormick was dealing with vision issues, and his back was not thought to be an issue.

To be fair, it is possible that the Houston Astros outfielder may be having troubles with both. McCormick's eye issues began occurring during Friday's series opener against the Texas Rangers. He was pulled from that game in the third inning after walking in his lone at-bat.

Reportedly, he did not hurt his back until Sunday.

Many Houston Astros fans already have the man they want to see called up: Triple-A Sugar Land outfielder Justin Dirden. Dirden narrowly lost out to Corey Julks for a spot on the big-league roster during spring training and is at the forefront of the minds of many Houstonians as a suitable replacement for McCormick.

It's not like the Astros were attempting to cover up a McCormick back injury. The player himself told reporters of his vision problems after last Saturday:

"I just wasn't sure what was going on last night. I might have done something to it last night. ... I just think maybe I irritated it. They did a lot of treatment last night, and I was there for a while. They did a great job of making sure nothing severe was happening. They were concerned about the double vision."

McCormick did note that his vision had improved from Friday night to Saturday morning. However, he did not appear again in the series.

While most fans are voicing support for Dirden to join the Houston Astros in McCormick's absence, there is a vocal minority in support of Pedro Leon. Leon is hitting .260 – 40 points better than Dirden. Each has one home run.

McCormick was off to solid start with Houston Astros

Chas McCormick of the Houston Astros celebrates after scoring.
Chas McCormick of the Houston Astros celebrates after scoring.

McCormick was off to a solid start this season. Through 11 games, he is slashing .275/.383/.500 with two home runs and four stolen bases.

In his three years with the Astros, he is hitting .252 with 30 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 238 games. He had 14 homers in each of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

He batted .231 with two homers during Houston's run to the World Series title last autumn.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
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