The Astros announced Friday that they’ve claimed infielder Logan Davidson off waivers from the A’s and designated right-hander Nick Robertson for assignment in a corresponding move. Houston also placed lefty Brandon Walter on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation and recalled righty Nick Hernandez from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Davidson, 27, was the Athletics’ first-round pick back in 2017. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week. The Clemson product made his big league debut this season and collected his first few big league hits but only tallied 24 plate appearances. He’s spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .263/.412/.397 with a colossal 19.4% walk rate but a 26.4% strikeout rate and only seven homers in 330 plate appearances.
That’s Davidson’s third run at the Triple-A level. He’s a career .278/.374/.446 hitter in just over 900 plate appearances there. Davidson has primarily been a shortstop in his pro career but has at least 500 innings at all four infield positions and another 350 innings of outfield work under his belt. He’ll add a switch-hitting depth piece with a full slate of minor league options to the Houston depth chart.
The Astros added Robertson, 27, in an April 1 trade with the Blue Jays. He’s spent the whole season in Triple-A, where he’s worked 32 2/3 innings of relief with a 4.68 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate and grisly 17.2% walk rate.
Robertson has a history of missing bats in the upper minors but also well below-average command. He’s pitched 35 2/3 innings across four teams (Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Jays) and posted a 5.30 ERA while fanning nearly a quarter of his opponents against a 6.8% ealk rate. Houston has five days to trade him or place him on outright waivers.
Walter’s IL placement is the latest in a seemingly neverending spree of injuries to Astros pitchers. The former Red Sox prospect signed a minor league deal over the winter and has been a revelation in Houston filling in for other injured starters like Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski.
In 53 2/3 innings, Walter has posted a 3.35 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate and an outrageous 1.9% walk rate (four walks). He’s started nine games and looked to have a rotation spot locked down before his elbow flared up.
Elbow concerns for any pitcher are ominous, but that’s perhaps particularly true in Walter’s case. He missed the entire 2024 season due to injury — albeit a rotator cuff strain rather than anything pertaining to his elbow. Still, it’s a discouraging development for him to run into another arm injury in relatively short order after returning from an entirely lost season.
The Astros were on the lookout for pitching earlier this summer, but general manager Dana Brown recently suggested that in light of a serious injury to third baseman Isaac Paredes (to say nothing of an increasingly protracted absence for Yordan Alvarez), his focus is instead on bolstering the lineup. That, of course, was before word came down about Walter’s elbow.
With Walter on the shelf, Houston’s rotation includes co-aces Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez and rookies Colton Gordon and Ryan Gusto. Candidates to step into Walter’s spot include Jason Alexander, AJ Blubaugh and Miguel Ullola, although Houston also has Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr. on the mend.
You gotta be shi**ing me…
It’s not a day until the Astros put a guy on the IL. Espada deserves Manager of the Year if they can hang on to 1st place with a 26-man IL
I guess the baseball gods are still pissed about 2017. There’s no other way to explain all these injuries. At this point, it’s a win if we don’t add somebody to the IL that day regardless of the outcome of the game.
I mean if they were pissed how does 2018-2024 exist? (4 pennants, 2 WS, 7 ALCS’, 8 division titles)
How does a team win 8 division titles in 7 years?
Because 7 ate 9
You’d have to ask the gods, bro. I don’t know. But it seems like we’re losing a player a day. And it’s his elbow, which is ominous for a pitcher. Hopefully just inflammation but with the way this season has gone, I’m not optimistic.
Glad Davidson will get a chance.
He got kind of passed up by Zack Gelof, Jacob Wilson, and Max Muncy in A’s infield plans.
Davidson will be a minor league, 6-year Free Agent, if he gets removed from the Astros’ 40-Man roster at season’s end.
What are your thoughts on Davidson as a player? I know his Dad played for the Astros, so I’m sure it’ll be exciting for him to play for his Dad’s old team.
he’s been defensively bad at at every position they’ve given him ample time to learn until they had to stash him at first base….there’s a reason Gelof, Wilson, and even Muncy have passed him on the depth chart due to defense alone…his looking at strikes (esp strike three’s are befuddling considering they’re not borderline pitches, most are right over the plate) and gets diva-esque mad when he gets called out like his backside don’t stink or something….I wish him the best of luck, but he’s maybe a AA player at best…
Hahahaha have fun with all of those strike three looking’s…
We’ll enjoy his defensive versatility & ability to walk in Houston. He was walking at an absurd 19% rate in AAA Las Vegas…plus switch hitting is a valuable commodity off the bench.
“defensive versatility” that’s cute….have fun with that 50% SO rate…
It’s not cute…it’s just facts as he’s played 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, & RF in the minors. That’s valuable, plus the switch hit ability. We do know that he strikes out a lot, so we will have fun with it. HOU doesn’t care as much about the K offensively…they target power over contact guys routinely. As evidenced by recent 1st round draft picks Xavier Neyens, Brice Matthews, etc.
I was thinking Walter plus for Suarez earlier today. I don’t know where you play Parades when/if he returns, I guess you could play Parades at second and roll with an OF of Altuve, Smith, Meyers and Melton.
That would be a nice lineup:
Pena
Altuve
Alvarez
Suarez
Parades
Walker
Smith
Diaz
Melton
Walter has been real good, would be hard to trade him off but Javier is due back, Garcia could be back, Arrighetti also back in a month. McCullers can’t stay healthy or he’d be another option. Colton Gordon too. I’d trade Walter for Suarez and with the way Walter has pitched this year I’d think the D’Backs would be on board with a trade headlined by the lefty.
Was thinking the exact same way as you BWMiller79! I’d thought Walter could be a headline piece at the deadline as he’s pitched so well & has essentially 5-6 more years left of control. Plus, he’ll be out of options next year, thus limiting the Astros versatility of being able to send him back & forth between HOU & Sugarland to AAA. Could’ve really got something back nice for him, but now with the injury it’ll be really tough to deal him. Significantly hurts the Astros trade ammunition & I hate it personally for Brandon as he’s been pitching so well in his first real taste in the show !
This is not good. I have heard names like Cedric Mullins and Eugenio Suarez coming here. Many places are saying that. But with Walter down n ow probably for season.
Javier could return in a week or two. Spencer even. Garcia maybe not far behind. LMJ who knows. He is a walking IL.
What happens at deadline for sure who knows. With more of the walking wounded returning like Pena, Yordan, Melton 3 that know of at moment. where do things stand with outfield even. Have heard Jake/Chas as possibly trade candidates and some from minors perhaps for Eugenio. Does Dana look for roster over pitching at deadline. Right now for the playoffs I see Framber and Brown but who will be a third or 4th. Will it be Gusto, Gordon, as I really do not see Javier, LMJ, Garcia as playoffs etc. right now. With just returning soon some time in August. Jason Alexander is still with team I do believe after his not so great start last night. His last 2 times up he was sent right back down. Nick Hernandez was just sent down now is back again. Just crazy how things have turned.