Astros Release Aledmys Díaz

Astros manager Joe Espada says that infielder/outfielder Aledmys Díaz has been released, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X. That’s the corresponding move for the club’s selection of infielder Shay Whitcomb, which was previously reported.

The Astros signed Díaz to a minor league deal last month after he was released by the Athletics, adding him to their roster shortly thereafter. He got hardly any playing time at all in Houston, with four plate appearances in almost a month on the roster. He went 0-4 in those, striking out twice.

There was no real cost for the Astros in grabbing Díaz for that stint on the roster. The A’s are still on the hook for his salary after releasing him earlier this year. Oakland signed him to a two-year, $14.5MM deal going into 2023 and got very little in return for that investment. Díaz has hit .216/.265/.313 since the start of 2023 for a wRC+ of 60, which prompted them to cut him loose earlier this year.

He’ll return to the open market in the coming days and perhaps will garner attention based on his previous track record. With the A’s still on the hook for most of his salary, it would essentially be a no-cost pickup for any club that has interest.

From 2016 to 2022, Díaz hit .266/.320/.443 in 582 games between the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Astros. That production translated into a 105 wRC+, indicating he was 5% better than league average during that seven-year stretch. He did that while providing plenty of defensive versatility, lining up at all four infield positions as well as the outfield corners.