Top 5 Houston Astros That Need To Be Removed from 25-Man Roster

Who Needs To Go?

The Houston Astros are a team in transition. Players are coming and going, new faces are establishing themselves, old faces are wearing new jerseys. Through it all, GM Jeff Luhnow has stayed the course of building towards the future, and he has done a commendable job.

But there are still some loose pieces straggling around on the 25-man MLB roster that need to be removed.

Five names stand out, with a few honorable mentions

First of all, Erik Bedard needs to be moved, but there is no rush to do so. He’s been fairly consistent and, although he’s the highest paid player on the team, he’s making just over $1 million. He’s not a piece of the future, though, so he needs to be moved before next season.

Second is Brett Wallace, who is still hovering his batting average between .210 and .220. It has to be believed that the only reason he still has a spot on the everyday roster is because, surprisingly, the Astros currently have no other alternatives. However, Jonathan Singleton is starting to put some consistent numbers up, hitting .313 in his last ten games. As such, Wallace’s time is limited, so he didn’t make the list either.

The players that made the list are those guys that hurt the team on a daily basis. The Astros do not need anyone on the team who brings them down. They are low enough as is, so overwhelmingly negative solo performances need to be relegated to another team, be sent down or cut.

Here they are. These are the lowest of the lows, the Astros who need to be removed from the 25-man roster as soon as possible.

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5. Chris Carter

No surprises here. Chris Carter has been horrible this year. His power numbers offer some hope for the future, but right now, he needs a very long stay in Triple-A to sort out the massive holes in his swing

4. Lucas Harrell

It's really unfortunate what has become of Lucas Harrell. In 2012 he was fantastic, but the guy runs on almost 100 percent emotion and that's an ill-forged recipe in the Astros' current state. He needs to spend some time in Triple-A to sort out his head.

3. Jake Elmore

The scouting report on Jake Elmore says he's an offensive shortstop. That's all well and good, but his errors have proved costly in numerous occasions. Not to mention his offensive numbers aren't overly impressive either. He's spent considerable time in Triple-A already, so maybe other accommodations need to be made.

2. Marc Krauss

Astros fans watching Chris Johnson go off in Atlanta must be wondering how the guys they got for Johnson are doing. Well, Brian Borchering is sputtering in the low minor leagues, and Marc Krauss is hitting .106 in his last ten MLB games. His average has touched .200 just once this year. It's time to send Krauss back down to get some more experience; he's just a wasted roster space as is.

1. Philip Humber

No, he hasn't even thrown a pitch since his most recent call-up. Yes, he needs to be released immediately. Nothing good comes from having Philip Humber on the roster. He is ineffective no matter how he's used, and his Triple-A numbers would be underwhelming if they were major league numbers.