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Athletics Claim Janson Junk

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The Athletics announced that right-hander Janson Junk has been claimed off waivers from the Astros.  Outfielder Miguel Andujar was moved to the 60-day injured list to create roster space, as Andujar’s season is already over due to a core surgery.

Junk’s August has been bookended by a pair of waiver claims, as the Astros initially plucked him off the Brewers’ wire at the start of the month.  He didn’t receive any playing time in the majors during his limited time with Houston, and he struggled to a 6.14 ERA in 14 2/3 innings with Triple-A Round Rock.  Junk was used exclusively as a starter with Round Rock, as opposed to his usage as both a starter and reliever with Triple-A Nashville earlier this season, when he had a 2.55 ERA over 35 1/3 frames.

Junk has generally decent numbers across parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level, but that hasn’t translated into much success (or even regular playing time) during his brief stints in the big leagues.  Over 40 career MLB innings with Los Angeles and Milwaukee since he debuted with the Angels in 2021, Junk has a 5.18 ERA, 20% strikeout rate, and five percent walk rate.

Since the rebuilding A’s are looking to evaluate talent and fill innings over the remainder of the season, Junk might well get another opportunity to show that he can do against big league hitters.  Junk will be out of minor league options next year, so Oakland or any other team will need to designate the righty for assignment before trying to send him back to Triple-A.

Astros Designate Janson Junk For Assignment

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The Astros announced that they have signed outfielder Jason Heyward and optioned outfielder Chas McCormick, two moves that were previously reported. To open a 40-man spot for Heyward, right-hander Janson Junk has been designated for assignment. The club also reinstated right-hander Ryan Pressly from the injured list and optioned left-hander Bryan King.

Junk, 28, was just claimed off waivers from the Brewers at the start of this month and has been kept on optional assignment since then. He made four starts for Triple-A Sugar Land, allowing 10 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings.

Since the trade deadline has passed, the Astros will have to put him back on waivers in the coming days. He could perhaps garner interest from clubs in need of innings. He only has four major league frames on his track record so far, with an unimpressive 5.18 ERA. But from 2021 to the present, he has tossed 356 2/3 minor league innings with a 3.84 ERA. His 20.4% strikeout rate in that time is a bit below average but his 7.4% walk rate is strong and he’s also had solid ground ball rates.

He will be out of options next year but can still be optioned for the rest of the 2024 season. He has less than a year of service time and can therefore be controlled well into the future, but he will have less roster flexibility by the next campaign.

Astros Option Chas McCormick

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The Astros optioned outfielder Chas McCormick to Triple-A Sugar Land following last night’s game — presumably to clear an active roster spot for the pending arrival of newly signed outfielder Jason Heyward. The team didn’t formally announce the move yet, but McCormick took it upon himself to call the Astros beat over to his locker last night and inform them of the news after he’d been told (X links via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Houston still needs to clear a 40-man spot for Heyward.

It’s the first time McCormick has been sent to the minors since June 2022 — a trip that only lasted one day, as he was quickly recalled to the big leagues after Michael Brantley landed on the injured list. With the exception of that one-day trip to Sugar Land, this new optional assignment is the first time McCormick has been sent down since initially being called to the majors. (He’s briefly played in the minors in the past two years while on injury rehab assignments but hasn’t actually been optioned.)

The 2024 season has been a nightmare for the 29-year-old McCormick and a noted departure from the productive three-year stretch he enjoyed from 2021-23. McCormick posted a solid .257/.319/.447 slash as a rookie in 2021, enjoyed a more productive year in 2022 and broke out with a career-best .273/.353/.489 slash last year. McCormick enjoyed career-best marks in home runs (22), doubles (17), stolen bases (19), plate appearances (457), strikeout rate (25.6%), wRC+ (134) and wins above replacement (3.3 fWAR, 3.6 bWAR) during that standout 2023 campaign.

Everything has trended in the wrong direction in 2024. The 2017 21st-rounder has posted a disastrous .192/.256/.292 batting line in 243 plate appearances this season. McCormick’s 28.8% strikeout rate isn’t a career-worst but is a significant increase from last year. His 6.6% walk rate is a career-low. McCormick has chased pitches off the plate at the highest rate of his career (33.1%) and made contact on pitches within the strike zone at the lowest rate of his career (76%). The contact he’s made has generally been weak. Statcast pegs him with career-worst marks in average exit velocity (85.2 mph), barrel rate (7.8%) and hard-hit rate (31.4%). McCormick has hit more infield flies (six) in a career-low 243 plate appearances this season than he has in any previous campaign.

Depending on the amount of time McCormick spends in Sugar Land, there could be contractual implications. He entered the 2024 season with exactly three years of service, meaning he’d need 172 days in the majors to hit four years of service. At the moment, he’s accrued 154 days of major league service. McCormick still needs another 18 days to cross four years of service and remain on track for free agency in the 2026-27 offseason. If he’s not recalled on or before Sept. 12, his path to free agency will be pushed back by a year.

For now, the focus will be getting McCormick back on track down in Triple-A, where he can get everyday at-bats that haven’t been available as a contending Astros club looks to stay atop a closely contested AL West race. McCormick did pinch-hit in last night’s game and swat a two-run homer, though that was just his fourth hit in 48 plate appearances since the trade deadline.

At the moment, with Kyle Tucker still on the shelf, the Astros’ outfield mix includes Jake Meyers, Yordan Alvarez, utilityman Mauricio Dubon, journeyman Ben Gamel and (soon) the aforementioned Heyward. With Alvarez working primarily as a designated hitter (81 games there versus 43 in left field) and three lefty-swinging options in the outfield mix (Alvarez, Gamel, Heyward), there should be room for McCormick’s right-handed bat if a brief minor league reset can get him back on track. That’s particularly with rosters set to expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1. While he’s struggled against lefties and righties alike this season, McCormick is still a career .286/.358/.508 hitter against southpaws.

Astros, Jason Heyward Agree To Deal

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Aug. 28: Heyward is taking his physical today, manager Joe Espada tells the Astros beat (X link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Assuming it goes well, he could officially be added to the club tomorrow.

Aug. 27: The Astros are nearing a deal with Jason Heyward, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com on X. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN relays on X that the deal is done, pending a physical. The outfielder was recently released by the Dodgers. The Astros will need to make a corresponding move to open a spot on the 40-man once the deal is official, as well as a move to open an active roster spot once Heyward reports to the team.

Heyward, 35, was able to engineer a nice bounceback season with the Dodgers last year. After struggling for much of his time with the Cubs, he spent 2023 in Los Angeles, hitting 15 home runs while walking in 9% of his plate appearances. His .269/.340/.473 batting line translated to a 120 wRC+, indicating he was 20% better than league average.

Most of that damage came with the platoon advantage, as the lefty swinger only stepped to the plate 28 times against southpaws, compared to 349 times against righties. But it still allowed him to have a productive season. When combined with strong defense, he was considered to be worth 2.2 wins above replacement by FanGraphs.

He and the Dodgers reunited this winter on a one-year, $9MM deal but the Hollywood sequel wasn’t as satisfying as the original. In 197 plate appearances with the Dodgers this year, Heyward slashed .208/.289/.393 for a wRC+ of 91.

The Dodgers faced a tough roster decision when Mookie Betts was recently returning from the injured list. He had been serving as the club’s everyday shortstop prior to getting hurt but the decision was made to move him back to his customary right field spot for the stretch run and postseason. The club had Teoscar Hernández in left and was planning to use a mixture of Tommy Edman and Kevin Kiermaier in center, with Andy Pages also around as optionable depth. For bench/utility roles, they decided to keep multi-positional guys like Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor, which nudged Heyward off the roster.

Given Heyward’s diminished performance and notable salary, he unsurprisingly went unclaimed off waivers, but there’s logic to the Astros picking him up now. With Heyward’s recent release, the Dodgers are on the hook for the majority of what is left to be paid out of that salary. The Astros will only have to pay him the prorated portion of the $740K league minimum, making him more or less a free pickup.

It’s also possible that his results this year are a bit based on luck. His .224 batting average on balls in play is well below the .291 mark he had last year and the league-wide average of .290 this year. His average exit velocity and hard hit rate are actually higher than last year’s, according to Statcast, though his launch angle is less than ideal. His 41.4% ground ball rate last year was a career low, as he has pounded the ball into the dirt at a 48.3% clip in his career. That number is up to 51.4% this year, so perhaps he could have some better results if that normalizes by even a few points, getting closer to his career rate.

The Astros have been without their regular right fielder for a long time. Kyle Tucker put up a monster batting line of .266/.395/.584 for a 174 wRC+ in 60 games before fouling a ball off himself in early June. The club announced his injury as a shin contusion and it didn’t seem like he was going to be away from the club for long, but he’s coming close to a three-month absence at this point. The club is hopeful of Tucker returning in September, but as of a few days ago, he still hasn’t been able to sprint at full speed. That suggests there’s still some hurdles to clear before he’s a candidate to return.

On top of that, Yordan Alvarez missed a few days recently due to some neck stiffness, though he was able to return to the lineup last night. Alex Bregman was also taking up the designated hitter spot for a while due to elbow inflammation, though he’s been back at the hot corner for the past three games.

Jake Meyers is the regular in center field. The corner outfield mix consists of Alvarez, Ben Gamel, Mauricio Dubón and Chas McCormick. Gamel is a 32-year-old journeyman who was just claimed off waivers recently. Dubón is a glove-first utility guy. McCormick has some good results on his track record but is having a brutal year, currently slashing .188/.253/.275.

Heyward isn’t a guarantee but he has a decent shot at being an upgrade over that group, and at no real cost to the Astros. Even if his bat doesn’t turn around, he’s still a solid defender at this point in his career. It’s a solid pickup and one that raises the possibility of Heyward perhaps facing his former club in the World Series, if the Astros and Dodgers end up in a rematch of the scandal-plagued 2017 series.

White Sox Claim Jacob Amaya, Designate Nick Senzel For Assignment

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The White Sox announced today that they have claimed infielder Jacob Amaya off waivers from the Astros. The latter club had designated him for assignment on the weekend. Infielder Nick Senzel was designated for assignment by the White Sox in a corresponding 40-man roster move for the claim of Amaya. Infielder Bryan Ramos has been recalled to take Senzel’s active roster spot. The Sox also recalled left-hander Sammy Peralta and optioned lefty Ky Bush.

Amaya, 25, has just five major league games and ten plate appearances but is now joining the fourth organization of his career. An 11th-round pick of the Dodgers, he was flipped to the Marlins in the January 2023 trade that sent infielder Miguel Rojas to Los Angeles. He spent just over a year in the Marlins’ system but was designated for assignment in April of 2024 before being flipped to the Astros for right-hander Valente Bellozo and cash considerations.

Prospect evaluators have long praised Amaya for his defense, but his bat has been more questionable, which is borne out by the numbers. In 450 minor league games from 2021 to the present, he has slashed .240/.335/.384 for a wRC+ of 86. His 12.3% walk rate in that time is strong but he hasn’t made a ton of impact when putting the bat on the ball.

Amaya can still be optioned for the rest of this year but will be out of options next year. He has mostly played shortstop but has also seen some time at second and third base. The rebuilding Sox don’t have a ton set in stone in their future infield. Nicky Lopez has appeared in 105 games for them this year but is hitting a tepid .240/.309/.293 for a wRC+ of 74. He could be retained via arbitration for next year but would be a due a raise on his $4.3MM salary and could be non-tendered. Paul DeJong was traded to the Royals. Yoán Moncada is in the final guaranteed season of his contract and club won’t have much interest in picking up his $25MM club option for 2025.

Perhaps that will get Amaya a chance to earn some playing time for the rebuilding club. Even if his bat doesn’t come around, having a glove-first infielder is a sensible move for a rebuilding team that will undoubtedly be giving plenty of chances to unproven pitchers in the future.

That same uncertainty is what opened a spot for Senzel. The White Sox signed him in the middle of July after he was released by the Nationals. He got 32 plate appearances with the Sox but hit just .100/.129/.133 in those. Those struggles have nudged him off the roster and the Sox will have to put him on waivers now that the trade deadline has passed.

The Nats signed him to a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason after he was non-tendered by the Reds. He was designated for assignment by the Nats in July, when a trade was still possible, but he ended up released. Presumably, the interest hasn’t been raised during Senzel’s tenure with the White Sox, so he’s likely to end up a free agent again.

Though he was once a second overall pick and ten ten prospect in the sport, his bat hasn’t played at the major league level. He has over 1600 plate appearances to this point but has hit .232/.299/.363 in those for a wRC+ of 76.

The Nats are still on the hook for the majority of that $2MM salary. If another club is intrigued by Senzel’s past prospect pedigree, they could sign him and pay him only the prorated portion of the $740K major league minimum salary. That amount would be subtracted from what Washington pays.

West Notes: Tucker, Darvish, Doval

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The Astros have surged ahead of the free-falling Mariners to take control of the AL West after a rough start to the season, and they’ve largely done that without one of their best hitters. Outfielder Kyle Tucker was nothing short of incredible early in the season with a .266/.395/.584 slash line in 60 games that helped to keep Houston afloat in the midst of their early-season struggles, but hasn’t appeared in a game since June 3 after suffering a shin contusion that’s kept him out of action ever since.

Now, it appears the 27-year-old may finally be nearing a return to action after an initial target of a return early in the second half quickly turned into doubt over whether or not he’d contribute in the majors before September. In his latest update regarding the situation, GM Dana Brown suggested that he thinks Tucker will be able to return to the big league lineup during the first week of September. While a specific timeline for Tucker’s return is surely encouraging for Astros fans, The Athletic’s Chandler Rome cautions that Tucker has not yet begun running the bases or sprinting at full speed yet, and that he won’t be able to begin a rehab assignment until those boxes have been checked.

With that being said, Brown seemed to suggest yesterday (as relayed by MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) that the club could start pushing Tucker more aggressively in the near future, noting that the outfielder is currently “push[ing] a little harder” to “see where it goes.” Whenever he’s ready to return, Tucker is sure to provide a spark to an Astros lineup that will be looking to create more space between themselves and the Mariners, who currently sit 4.5 games back of them in the AL West race.

More from around MLB’s West divisions…

  • Moving over to the NL, the Padres reinstated veteran right-hander Yu Darvish from the restricted list yesterday. Darvish is not yet back on the big league roster, however, as he was placed back on the 15-day injured list. The 38-year-old hurler had been shelved due to hamstring and elbow issues prior to his placement on the restricted list due to an undisclosed family matter in early July. Fortunately, manager Mike Shildt clarified to reporters (including Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune) earlier today that Darvish is no longer dealing with any physical issues and that his placement on the injured list is instead a mechanism to allow him time to build up toward returning to the club’s rotation. Darvish last threw an official pitch during a minor league rehab assignment back in June and last pitched in the majors on May 29, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’ll need time to build his stamina back up before he can return to the rotation. The veteran was pitching quite well prior to his lengthy layoff, with a 3.20 ERA and 3.52 FIP in 11 starts, and figures to be a major asset for the Padres down the stretch and into the postseason once he’s built up enough stamina to return. The righty will face live hitters tomorrow before the club determines his next steps.
  • The Giants optioned longtime closer Camilo Doval to Triple-A earlier this month amid struggles that saw the 27-year-old’s ERA balloon up to 4.70 after sitting at an excellent 2.78 at the end of May and a decent 3.93 as recently as mid-July. With a 6.75 ERA from the month of June onward and a disastrous run of eight appearances prior to his option where he posted an 8.59 ERA and walked 16.7% of opponents, San Francisco sent their star reliever to reset in the minor leagues. As first reported by Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic this morning, however, Doval is now back in the majors after impressing in five appearances at the Triple-A level. The right-hander threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Mariners tonight, during which he struck out two on one hit and no walks. Despite his return to action, however, Doval will not be returning to the closer’s role, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to note that manager Bob Melvin is planning to keep Ryan Walker as the club’s primary ninth-inning option going forward.

Astros Designate Jacob Amaya For Assignment

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The Astros announced a set of roster moves this afternoon, including the news that infielder Jacob Amaya has been designated for assignment.  This opens up a 40-man roster spot for Hector Neris, who signed with Houston two days ago.  Right-handers Seth Martinez and Shawn Dubin were optioned to Triple-A to create 26-man roster space for Neris and righty Kaleb Ort, who was reinstated from the paternity list.

Amaya came to the Astros in a trade from the Marlins back in April, and the 25-year-old’s time on Houston’s active roster has thus far consisted of just a single game — an appearance as a defensive substitute in the Astros’ 10-3 loss to the Yankees on May 7.  At the Triple-A level this season, Amaya has a .221/.308/.330 slash line over 302 total plate appearances with the Astros’ and Marlins’ top affiliates.

This represents a step backwards from the more respectable numbers Amaya has posted in past stints in Triple-A (with the Marlins last season and with the Dodgers in 2022).  Amaya has always been considered more of a glove-first player dating back to his time in the Los Angeles farm system, and while his defense alone might be good enough to get him some consideration for a big league roster, he’ll need to deliver more at the plate to earn anything more than sporadic call-ups or playing time.

Finding a niche in Houston is particularly tricky for Amaya considering how Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena have the middle infield positions on lockdown, and superutilityman Mauricio Dubon bounces around at several positions.  This is the first time Amaya has been designated for assignment, and so if he clears waivers and is outrighted to Triple-A, he doesn’t have a prior outright or the MLB service time necessary to reject that assignment in favor of free agency.

Astros Shut Down Penn Murfee’s Rehab Assignment

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Right-hander Penn Murfee began a rehab assignment last week but made just one appearance and will now be shut down. Per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, the righty has been returned from that rehab assignment due to what the team calls “a reoccurrence of right elbow discomfort.”

Murfee, now 30, got out to a strong start in his major league career. He made 80 appearances for the Mariners over the 2022 and 2023 seasons with a 2.70 earned run average. He posted a strong 27.9% strikeout rate in that time, with his 8.5% walk rate close to league average.

The latter of those two seasons was cut short midway through, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in July of last year. In the offseason, the M’s put him on waivers and he was claimed by the Mets and then Atlanta. The latter club non-tendered him, re-signed him to a split deal and then put him back on waivers, at which point the Astros claimed him.

Houston was undoubtedly hoping Murfee could provide a second-half jolt to their bullpen once he recovered from his surgery, but that’s looking less likely now. “It’s not ideal,” manager Joe Espada said. “It sucks because I know he’s worked really hard. He wants to get on the field, he wants to pitch for us this season. I still expect him to do it. It’s just, we’re going to have to slow him down a little bit here and see how he feels. It’s day to day right now.”

It seems Espada still left the window open for Murfee to come back this year, but it’ll be tight just based on the calendar. Whenever he’s cleared to restart his rehab, he’ll presumably need a few outings to get into game shape after so much down time. The Astros have taken the lead in the West division and could perhaps increase the chances of Murfee playing a role if they manage to play deep into October yet again.

Even if that doesn’t come to pass, Murfee could play a role on the club in the future. He came into this season with one year and 169 days of service time. Players on the major league injured list collect service time, so he’ll finish this year at 2.169 as long as he’s not activated and then optioned in the next few weeks. He will qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player this winter but won’t be able to command a huge raise after so much missed time. The Astros can control him for four additional seasons beyond this one.

In another bit of Astros news, Chandler Rome of The Athletic relays on X that the club is going to give Alex Bregman some reps at first base. He recently missed a few games due to right elbow inflammation but has been in the last two contests as the designated hitter. Shay Whitcomb has been covering the hot corner of late while Bregman’s elbow is preventing him from making strong throws across the diamond, but perhaps he could handle first, where the throwing demands are lower.

While the club is surely glad to have Bregman’s bat back in the lineup, it currently makes for a slightly awkward fit as it forces Yordan Alvarez to play the field every day. The club has also given some DH time to Yainer Diaz this year, keeping his bat in the lineup whenever Victor Caratini is catching. If Bregman could slot in at first from time to time, it could give Espada a bit more flexibility in setting the lineup, getting Alvarez and Diaz a lighter workload as they approach the postseason.

First base has been a bit hole for the club this year, with José Abreu having been released after his immense struggles. Jon Singleton has largely taken over, with Zach Dezenzo also factoring in lately and Diaz moving there on occasion as well. Singleton is hitting .234/.314/.369 this year for a wRC+ of 97, almost league average but a bit below the expectations for a first baseman. Dezenzo has hit .188/.235/.313 in a small sample of 34 plate appearances. Bregman has hit .261/.319/.448 this year for a 117 wRC+ but has been even better lately. After cold start to the season, he has hit .296/.351/.512 since the start of June for a 145 wRC+.

Astros To Sign Héctor Neris

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The Astros are signing right-hander Héctor Neris, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 on X. The righty was released by the Cubs earlier this week. Assuming it’s a major league deal, the Astros will need to make corresponding moves to get the righty onto their active and 40-man rosters once the deal is made official.

Neris, 35, returns to an organization that he has had success with. After many successful years with the Phillies, Neris joined the Astros going into 2022. He signed a two-year, $17MM deal with a club option for 2024, though he could vest that into a player option based on the number of appearances he made for the club during the life of the contract.

Over those two years in Houston, Neris got into 141 regular season contests, allowing 2.69 earned runs per nine. He struck out 29.1% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 9% clip. He earned five saves and 56 holds in that time. He also made 15 postseason appearances over those two years, including eight in 2022 with a 1.50 ERA, helping Houston win its second World Series title.

By July of 2023, he had made his 110th regular-season appearance with the club, thus converting the club option into a player option. He eventually decided to turn that down, taking the $1MM buyout and returning to free agency, rather than agreeing to the $8.5MM salary.

He eventually signed with the Cubs for the 2024 season, a one-year, $9MM guarantee. Again, there was a club/player option provision, this time with a $9MM salary on the table for 2025. It would begin as a club option that could become a player option with 60 appearances or 45 games finished in 2024.

His time as a Cub was mixed. He made 46 appearances for them this year with a 3.89 ERA that doesn’t look too bad at first blush. However, his 23.5% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate were both significant drop-offs from his previous work. He managed to dance around those free passes a bit with a 76.9% strand rate that’s on the lucky side, perhaps why his 4.09 FIP and 4.36 SIERA were a bit worse than his ERA.

The Cubs decided to set him loose, releasing him earlier this week. That was likely a reflection of his diminished performance but also the Cubs not wanting him to unlock that player option. Since Neris was released and no club grabbed him off waivers, that option is now dead and won’t carry over to any new deal he signs.

Though he hasn’t been as crisp this year, it’s a sensible pickup for the Astros. For one thing, there’s no real financial cost. Because they released him, the Cubs are on the hook for the majority of his 2024 salary that is still to be paid out. The Astros only have to pay him the prorated version of the $740K league minimum salary for any time Neris spends on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Cubs pay.

The Astros have also taken a few hits in their bullpen. Kendall Graveman, Penn Murfee, Oliver Ortega and Bennett Sousa are all currently on the 60-day injured list, with each of them undergoing a significant surgery earlier this year. Righty Ryan Pressly also landed on the 15-day IL a few days ago due to a low back strain. There’s nothing to suggest Pressly is slated for a lengthy absence, but it’s another gap in the relief corps until he comes back.

Perhaps a return to a familiar environment can get Neris back on track after some wobbles this year. Even if that doesn’t quite come to pass, it’s a low-cost signing that lengthens the club’s depth for the stretch run and postseason.

Alex Bregman Discusses Elbow Soreness

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Alex Bregman returned to the Astros’ lineup this afternoon, hitting atop the order while playing designated hitter. Bregman’s leadoff homer accounted for the only run in a 4-1 loss to the Red Sox. That was his first at-bat in a week, as the two-time All-Star hadn’t played since last Wednesday because of inflammation in his right elbow.

Bregman’s return to the order doesn’t mean he’s at full strength. Breaking him back in at DH suggested the Astros were still concerned about him throwing the ball across the diamond. Bregman acknowledged that could be a problem for the foreseeable future. The third baseman told reporters after the game that his defensive work will be “a fluid situation” for the remainder of the season (link via Chandler Rome of the Athletic). Bregman made clear that he wasn’t dealing with any structural damage in his UCL but noted he’d need to “try to mitigate” swelling on a daily basis.

That is far from a declaration that he won’t return to third base, yet it seems likely he’ll get a fair amount of run at designated hitter down the stretch. That could push Yordan Alvarez more frequently into left field. Houston has also given catchers Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini sporadic DH work as a means of keeping them fresh while getting both players into the lineup. Caratini, as the #2 option behind the plate, could lose a few reps. Diaz has started two of the past three games at first base, where the Astros had been using a Jon Singleton/Zach Dezenzo platoon. That’s another potential avenue for manager Joe Espada to keep both catchers in the lineup.

The bigger question is how the Astros would cover third base if Bregman’s playing time there is curtailed. Rookie Shay Whitcomb is evidently the first choice. Houston called him up on Thursday and has given him the past five starts at the hot corner. Whitcomb has had a great year in Triple-A, hitting .293/.378/.530 with 25 homers and 26 stolen bases. He’d struggled with strikeouts throughout his minor league career before taking a significant step forward in that regard this season.

At this point, there’s no indication that Bregman is dealing with anything especially worrisome. It’s nevertheless a situation worth monitoring as the Astros work to lock down another division title and into the upcoming offseason. Bregman will be a free agent for the first time and has a case as the second-best position player in the class behind Juan Soto.

As MLBTR explored in greater detail last week, Bregman has rebounded from a dismal start to the season. He has hit the ball harder as the year has progressed and has been on a power barrage this month. While his overall .261/.318/.450 season line is still below his standard level, that’s attributable to the poor start. Bregman is playing as well as ever over the past couple months.

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