Astros Claim Logan Davidson, Place Brandon Walter On Injured List

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% walk 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.