Astros picked the wrong rookie and Zach Dezenzo won’t let them forget it

The entire Houston Astros fanbase was on the Cam Smith hype train earlier this year. The former Cubs farmhand — acquired by the Astros in the Kyle Tucker trade — lit up opposition during spring training and earned a spot on Houston's Opening Day roster. But lately, fellow rookie Zach Dezenzo has stolen some of the spotlight from Smith, and is proving that he may be Houston's best option in right field at the moment.

Dezenzo was relegated to a bench role at the start of the 2025 season and had many Astros fans even questioning why he was added to the team's Opening Day roster. Through the first 16 games of the season, Dezenzo only appeared in six games, including three starts. The rookie was hitting a paltry .133 with a .321 OPS through 15 at-bats.

But Dezenzo has forced Joe Espada's hand of late. Since April 20, Dezenzo has appeared in 11 games and hitting .355/.394/.548 with four extra-base hits, including one home run. The versatile utility player has drawn starts at first base, as well as both left and right field, and could replace Smith as a regular in the Astros' outfield.

Astros picked Cam Smith over Zach Dezenzo, and the rookie hasn't forgotten

During that same stretch of time, Smith's slash line has plummeted to a disturbing .154/.313/.192 and a 63 wRC+. Smith's patient approach at the dish has helped him achieve a respectable 15.6%, but outside of that, the rookie has been somewhat unplayable. Throw in Jake Meyers' inexplicably successful start, and the idea of shifting Smith from right field to center may not be the wisest move at this time.

Dezenzo came up as an infielder, as did Smith, but with both Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker on the roster, Houston has no way of getting either player into the lineup on the infield. With Jose Altuve in left field for the most part, the only place for these rookies to jockey for playing time is right field. At the moment, Dezenzo is winning that battle.

If Dezenzo continues his outright assault on opposing pitchers, Houston would do well to send Smith down to Triple-A so he doesn't become a fixture on the Astros bench, but rather receives everyday at-bats down in the minors. This is a good problem to have, but with both Dezenzo and Smith still in the developing stages of their careers, Houston needs to ride the hot hand. At the moment, that's Dezenzo.

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