Grae Kessinger got the call to head to 'The Show' and is joining the Houston Astros on Monday
The next Ole Miss baseball player to make their Major League Baseball debut is set to be former Rebels shortstop Grae Kessinger, continuing the family legacy of major league players.
News came out on Sunday that Kessinger was getting the call up from the Sugar Land Space Cowboys to join the Houston Astros in Toronto on Monday for its four-game series against the Blue Jays.
Kessinger is in the middle of his fourth season in the minors as part of the Astros farm system after being drafted in 2019. After spending two seasons with the Corps Christi Hooks — the Astros Double-A affiliate — Kessinger was moved up to the the Triple-A Space Cowboys for the 2023 season.
Mark Berman, sports director for Fox 26 in Houston, reported that Kessinger will make the move to the Astros while catcher César Salazar down to Sugar Land. The Astros have not officially confirmed or announced Kessinger’s call up.
After a couple months in Triple-A Kessinger is currently hitting .284 (50-for-176) with 32 runs batted in and six home runs. His RBI total is the second best on the Space Cowboys as is his home run tally.
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Kessinger will be a third-generation MLB player, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Don Kessinger and uncle, Keith.
Don played in the majors for 15 years and his longest stint was with the Chicago Cubs from 1964 to 1975. Keith played 11 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1993.
Current Astros shorstop Jose Altuve was out of Sunday’s lineup against the Los Angeles Angels as he is dealing with an oblique injury.
Once Kessinger’s call up is official it will make him the 50th Ole Miss player in program history to make it to the MLB. Current Marlins catcher Nick Fortes was the most recent Ole Miss player to make his MLB debut, getting called up during the 2021 season.
