The Houston Astros are taking on the Atlanta Braves in the first of a three-game series with the hopes of remaining firmly in the AL West playoff hunt. With things coming down to the wire, the franchise called up prospect Zach Cole to the majors to provide a boost to the offense. He did just that in his major league debut.

Cole, who is 25 years old, made his MLB debut on Friday night. He turned plenty of heads during his first career at-bat, as the young outfielder hit a home run on the first pitch, according to team beat writer Brian McTaggart. His homer gave the Astros an early 2-0 lead over the Braves.

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Cole has been in the minor league system since the 2022 season after playing at the college level for four years (three years at Ball State and one at Rochester Collegiate Summer). The Astros called him up to the majors after recently promoting him to Triple-A Sugar Land, where he only played in 15 games. During that 15-game stretch, Zach Cole flashed major potential, owning a .353 batting average and .459 OBP while recording 18 hits, five home runs, and 16 RBIs.

He's poised to make a splash for the Astros, as he did in his MLB debut on Friday. If he can maintain a hot bat through September, there is a chance for Zach Cole to remain on the major league roster once the playoffs start in October. It's safe to say things are looking great for him after going yard in his first career at-bat.

The Astros have Cole batting eighth in the lineup. He'll likely remain in that position for a bit unless he starts going off, and his production demands that he be moved up in the lineup. Until then, we should expect to see Zach Cole on the roster through September, at the very least.