Houston Astrosleft fielder Kyle Tucker went 1-for-4 with a bases-loaded walk and three strikeouts in his major league debut Saturday as the Astros breezed past theChicago White Sox12-6.
Tucker singled in the seventh inning for his first MLB hit and drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Tucker, 21, has been outstanding this season at Triple-A Fresno and Astros manager AJ Hinch said heplanned to play Tucker every day, in left field or right field.Hinch said as the season gets into its latter stages, the team needs to see what Tucker can do after his strong showing in both spring training and the minor leagues.
"Our team got better by adding him to the mix," the manager said.
To make room for Tucker on the roster, the Astros optioned slumping outfielder Jake Marisnick to Fresno.
Tucker was rated as the No. 21 overall prospect by ESPN's Keith Law and the No. 17 overall prospect by MLB.com earlier this year. The younger brother of former Astros and current Atlanta Braves outfielder Preston Tucker, he was the fifth overall selection in the 2015 draft.
He appeared in 80 games this season at Fresno, batting .306 with 14 home runs, 66 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Marisnick is batting .190 with seven homers in 68 games this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.