Lucas Spence made his major league debut Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles at Daikin Park. The 23-year-old center fielder was called up after the All-Star break. A special moment for a young player who worked his way up through the system as an undrafted free agent.
Spence was on a fishing trip with his dad during the All-Star break in northern Illinois.
Triple-A Sugar Land manager Mickey Storey called him and Spence thought he had done something wrong or been traded. Instead Storey told him he was being called up to the major leagues for the first time, per MLB.
For his major league debut he batted eighth and played center field. Spence drew a nine-pitch walk in his first plate appearance. Then he got a first-pitch single to lead off the seventh for his first major league hit. He finished 1-for-3 on the night, not a bad way to introduce yourself to the big leagues.
Lucas Spence was an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in 2024, and signed with the Astros for $150,000.
He spent most of this season at Double-A Corpus Christi hitting .269/.371/.433 in 44 games. The Astros' No. 10 ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline.
He fills the roster spot left by Brice Matthews who was placed on the 10-day IL with a sprained left knee. Matthews hurt his knee against the wall at Globe Life Field on Sunday trying to make a catch.
Spence went from thinking he was being traded to making his major league debut and it was a memorable one.
