Reed beginning to make his case for a promotion

ARLINGTON — Tyler White’s batting average has dipped to .219. His playing time has waned. Between him and superutility man Marwin Gonzalez, the Astros’ first-base production ranks in the bottom third of the majors. So what of A.J. Reed? Baseball’s top firstbase prospect could soon earn his promotion to the Astros. Reed has picked up his play since returning from a hamstring injury two weeks ago, and one would be hard-pressed to argue against the lefthanded slugger as the organization’s best option at his position for the rest of this season.

This is also the time of year when the major leagues typically see an uptick in high-profile call-ups, a la former No. 2 overall draft pick Jameson Taillon’s debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Mid-June is usually when front offices are safely beyond the “Super Two” threshold, a matter of service time that can save clubs millions of dollars down the road.

In Reed’s case, the former second-round draft pick hasn’t exactly dominated Pacific Coast League pitching in his first season in Class AAA. He is batting .236 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, 26 RBIs and a .781 OPS in 188 plate appearances. A sustained hot streak, which has eluded him thus far, would expedite his path.

Since returning to Fresno’s lineup on May 22, Reed is batting .250, and the quality of his at-bats has improved. His ability to hit same-sided pitching (5-for-42) remains a question mark, though, and when Reed comes up, the Astros want it to be as a regular, not as half of a platoon.

“He’s getting closer,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “There are certain things we’re definitely looking for that will give us confidence that he’s going to consistently deliver up here. But I don’t think we’re that far away.”

Reed’s call should come sooner rather than later. The Astros’ .708 OPS from their first basemen entering Wednesday ranked 22nd in the majors.

White, the American League rookie of the week after his first six games as a big leaguer, hasn’t produced consistently since the season’s first month. An everyday player earlier in the year, he has started only nine of the Astros’ last 16 games.

The Astros are probably safe now from Super Two implications to promote Reed. Front offices can only estimate the date of the Super Two cutoff in a given season. Players reach Super Two status, which affords them four years of salary arbitration instead of the typical three, if they rank in the top 22 percent of service time among players to have accrued between two and three years of service.

“It’s hard to predict when that date’s going to be. It’s hard to predict if that’s even going to be relevant a year from now. We’re not thinking about that,” Luhnow said. “We’re thinking about, ‘When is A.J. Reed ready to contribute to the Houston Astros?’ ”