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Kaleb Ort

Angels Outright Kaleb Ort

By Steve Adams | February 9, 2026 at 1:29pm CDT

The Angels announced Monday that right-handed reliever Kaleb Ort passed through waivers unclaimed following his recent DFA. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s never been outrighted before and has fewer than three years of major league service time (2.108), so he’ll remain with the Angels as a depth option in Salt Lake.

The 34-year-old Ort made his big league debut with the Red Sox back in 2021 and has logged time in each of the five seasons since. He’s spent the past two as a member of the division-rival Astros. Ort pitched well for the ’Stros in 2024 and was shakier in 2025, but his overall numbers with Houston are respectable: combined 4.08 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 38.2% ground-ball rate in 70 2/3 frames.

The hard-throwing Ort has averaged 96.8 mph on his four-seamer in that time and notched a strong 12.6% swinging-strike rate, generating plenty of whiffs with his slider, in particular. In addition to a walk rate that’s a bit heavy, Ort has been far too homer-prone. Opponents have tagged him for 25 homers in just 122 1/3 career innings in the majors (1.84 HR.9), including 15 dingers across the past two seasons in Houston (1.91 HR/9).

Ort is out of minor league options, which likely contributed to him going unclaimed on waivers. If the Angels select him back to the 40-man roster at any point, he’ll need to stay in the majors or else be designated for assignment and placed on waivers once again. At that point, even if Ort were to clear, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment to a minor league affiliate in favor of free agency, thanks to being outrighted this morning.

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Los Angeles Angels Transactions Kaleb Ort

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Angels Designate Kaleb Ort For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | February 6, 2026 at 2:40pm CDT

The Angels announced that right-hander Kaleb Ort has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move to open a spot for left-hander Brent Suter, who has now been officially signed to a one-year deal.

Ort, 34, has been riding the DFA carousel quite a bit this year. He was with the Astros last year but that club designated him for assignment in early January. He then went to the Yankees and Angels via waiver claims and has now been designated for assignment yet again.

That’s a reflection of a few facts. Ort is out of options. His major league track record isn’t amazing. However, he has big stuff, with a fastball that averages in the upper 90s. If he were to clear waivers, he would not have the right to elect free agency, since he doesn’t have a previous career outright and is shy of three years of service time. It seems several clubs are hoping to get Ort to the minors as non-roster depth but none have succeeded so far.

Despite the big arm, Ort hasn’t done too much to impress in the majors. He has thrown 122 1/3 innings, having allowed five earned runs per nine. His 23.7% strikeout rate is decent but he has also walked 10.5% of batters faced.

The Angels can take as long as five days before putting Ort back on the waiver wire but will probably do so sooner than that. The 60-day injured list opens up next week, which will give most clubs some extra roster spots and greater ability to make marginal moves such as waiver claims.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Angels Transactions Kaleb Ort

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Angels Claim Kaleb Ort, Designate Wade Meckler

By Steve Adams | January 28, 2026 at 1:21pm CDT

The Angels claimed righty Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Yankees, who had previously designated him for assignment, per announcements from both clubs. Outfielder Wade Meckler was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, the Angels announced.

Ort, 34 next week, made his big league debut with the ’21 Red Sox and has pitched in each of the past five major league seasons, the past two as a member of the division-rival Astros. He was excellent with Houston in 2024 but posted shakier numbers with the ’Stros in 2025. Overall, his past two seasons have resulted in a combined 4.08 ERA with a 26.1% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 38.2% ground-ball rate.

The hard-throwing Ort has averaged 96.8 mph on his four-seamer in that time and notched a strong 12.6% swinging-strike rate, generating plenty of whiffs with his slider, in particular. In addition to a walk rate that’s a bit heavy, Ort has been plagued by a major susceptibility to the long ball. He’s served up 25 round-trippers in 122 1/3 career innings in the majors, including 15 dingers in 70 2/3 frames across the past two seasons in Houston.

Ort is out of minor league options, so the Angels will have to either carry him in their Opening Day bullpen or else remove him from their 40-man roster between now and that point. The Halos are his third organization in as many weeks; Houston designated Ort for assignment in early January, after which he was claimed by the Yankees. He could have some more staying power in Anaheim, where there’s a clear need for bullpen help, but the Angels still need to clear a 40-man spot to make their re-signing of Yoan Moncada official, which could put Ort at risk again. Even if they go another route to open a spot for Moncada, Ort figures to be on the bubble for any subsequent additions to the Angels’ 40-man roster.

As for the 25-year-old Meckler (26 in April), he came to the Angels via waivers just three weeks ago, after the Giants had designated him for assignment. The 2022 eighth-rounder got his feet wet with 20 games and 64 plate appearances just over a year after being drafted. Predictably, he struggled in that initial — and, to this point, only — MLB exposure, hitting .232/.328/.250 in that tiny sample.

Meckler has spent the bulk of the past two seasons in Triple-A and hit well there, combining for 699 plate appearances with a .296/.392/.429 batting line. He doesn’t offer a ton of power (just 11 homers) and has only 21 steals in Triple-A despite plus speed, but Meckler is a high-contact hitter with a knack for drawing free passes. He’s gone down on strikes in just 16.7% of his Triple-A plate appearances against a stout 13.5% walk rate.

Meckler has plenty of experience across all three outfield positions and has seen brief action in the infield, primarily at second base (68 innings this past season). He has one minor league option remaining. A club seeking some speed, OBP and flexible left-handed-hitting outfield depth could take a look, whether via waivers or a small trade. The Angels will have five days to trade him before he has to be placed on waivers, though that waiver placement can also happen anytime in the interim. One way or another, his DFA will be resolved in a week’s time.

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Los Angeles Angels New York Yankees Transactions Kaleb Ort Wade Meckler

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Yankees Claim Michael Siani, Designate Kaleb Ort For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | January 23, 2026 at 2:40pm CDT

The Yankees announced that they have claimed outfielder Michael Siani off waivers from the Dodgers. Los Angeles designated him for assignment earlier this week to open a roster spot for Kyle Tucker. New York designated right-hander Kaleb Ort for assignment as the corresponding move for Siani.

Siani, 26, is primarily a speed-and-defense outfielder. In his 160 big leagues games over the past four seasons, he has stolen 21 bases in 26 attempts. He has logged 1,014 innings on the grass, spread across all three outfield positions. He has been credited with seven Defensive Runs Saved and 17 Outs Above Average.

His offensive numbers are less appealing. In 383 big league plate appearances, he has drawn a walk just 6.3% of the time while striking out at a 27.9% clip. He has a .221/.277/.270 line, which translates to a 58 wRC+, indicating he’s been 42% worse than league average on the whole. In the minors, he has done a bit more with the bat, but not by a wide margin. Over the past three years, he has taken 938 minor league plate appearances with a 14% walk rate, 24% strikeout rate, .217/.329/.337 line and 77 wRC+.

He clearly has appeal to big league clubs, in spite of the relatively lifeless bat. He finished 2025 with the Cardinals. This offseason, he has gone to Atlanta, the Dodgers and now the Yankees via waiver claims. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he could be retained as non-roster depth, so perhaps all these clubs have been trying to be the beneficiary there.

That means the Yankees might put him back on the wire in the coming weeks. For now, he gives them a potential bench outfielder. He also has an option remaining and could be sent to Triple-A while holding onto his 40-man spot.

The Yankees lost Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger to free agency at the end of the 2025 season but have re-signed both. Those two and Aaron Judge should have three outfield spots spoken for, with Giancarlo Stanton in the designated hitter slot.

Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones are also in the mix but don’t have great paths to playing time right now. They both have options and could be sent to the minors. Both have also been in trade speculation since Bellinger re-signed, though the Yanks may want to hang onto them as coverage for injuries. Grisham is also slated to go back to free agency after 2026, so they may want to keep the depth until then.

Siani’s role with the club would depend on how all that shakes out and would be contingent on him hanging onto his roster spot. Marco Luciano is in a similar spot, having also been claimed off waivers this week, though he is out of options.

Ort, 34 in February, was just claimed off waivers from the Astros a couple of weeks ago. He has upper 90s velocity but hasn’t yet translated that into strong big league results. He has thrown 122 1/3 innings over the past five seasons, allowing exactly five earned runs per nine. His 23.7% strikeout rate is decent but he has also walked 10.5% of batters faced.

He is out of options, which gives him a tenuous hold on a roster spot. Houston bumped him off earlier this month and the Yanks grabbed him. It’s possible the Yankees planned to put Ort back on the wire later, as he would stick around as non-roster depth if he were to clear waivers. DFA limbo can last a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours. The Yanks could wait five days before putting him back on waivers but they could also start that process earlier if they so choose.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers New York Yankees Transactions Kaleb Ort Michael Siani

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Yankees Claim Kaleb Ort

By Darragh McDonald | January 9, 2026 at 3:00pm CDT

The Yankees announced that they have claimed right-hander Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Astros. The move was reported by Yankees Never Win prior to the official announcement. Houston recently designated Ort for assignment when they signed Tatsuya Imai. The Yanks had multiple 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

Ort, 34 in February, has pitched for the Red Sox and Astros over the past five seasons. He has shown some intriguing stuff but without fully harnessing it for good results. He averages in the upper 90s with his four-seamer while also throwing a cutter, slider and changeup.

Through the end of the 2023 season, he had thrown 51 2/3 innings for the Red Sox with a 6.27 earned run average. Boston put him on waivers in October of 2023 and he bounced around the league that winter, going to the Mariners, Marlins, Phillies and Orioles via waivers or cash deals. Baltimore kept him on optional assignment early in 2024, exhausting Ort’s final option year in the process. They put him in waivers in May of that year, which is when the Astros grabbed him.

He had his best run of major league success with the Astros. After that claim, he gave Houston 22 innings with a 2.55 ERA, 28% strikeout rate and 4.3% walk rate. That impressed the Astros enough that Ort held a roster spot through 2025 despite being out of options, but he couldn’t keep the results at that level. He tossed 46 innings last year with a 4.89 ERA. His 25.3% strikeout rate was still good but he gave out free passes at a 13.9% clip. He spent most of September on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation.

For the Yankees, there’s no real harm in a waiver claim for now. As mentioned, they had multiple open roster spots. Ort still doesn’t have enough service time to have qualified for arbitration. They can bring him into camp to compete for a bullpen spot.

It’s also possible they put him back on waivers later, after they make more moves and fill out the roster. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, they could keep him in a non-roster capacity. Ort doesn’t have a previous career outright and is shy of three years of service time, meaning he doesn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

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Houston Astros New York Yankees Transactions Kaleb Ort

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Astros Designate Kaleb Ort For Assignment

By Anthony Franco | January 2, 2026 at 4:56pm CDT

The Astros announced they’ve designated reliever Kaleb Ort for assignment. That opened the 40-man roster spot to finalize their three-year free agent deal with Tatsuya Imai.

Ort landed in Houston on a waiver claim from Baltimore early in the 2024 season. He turned in a 2.55 earned run average across 22 games the rest of the way. Ort made a career-high 49 appearances last year but was unable to maintain the numbers he showed in a smaller sample. He allowed 4.89 earned runs per nine across 46 innings.

The righty missed bats at an above-average clip and struck out more than a quarter of opposing hitters. That came alongside a near-14% walk rate, however, well above the 4.3% mark he’d posted in his MLB work a year earlier. Ort also allowed a higher than average home run rate for a third consecutive season. While manager Joe Espada preferred to use him in the middle innings, he was pressed into a few higher-leverage spots when Josh Hader and Bennett Sousa were lost to injury in August. That pushed Bryan Abreu into the closing role and left Ort as one of their more established right-handed setup arms.

It unfortunately didn’t take long before Ort joined his bullpen mates on the injured list. He went down with elbow inflammation at the beginning of September. That knocked him out for the rest of the season. There’s no indication he won’t be ready for Spring Training, but he was already on the roster bubble. Ort is out of minor league options and approaching his 34th birthday.

Houston has Hader, Abreu, Sousa, Steven Okert and Bryan King in the season-opening bullpen, assuming health. Enyel De Los Santos and Nate Pearson are out of options and near-locks to break camp. Pearson signed a $1.35MM free agent deal, while De Los Santos is guaranteed a $1.6MM salary after avoiding arbitration. There wouldn’t have been much flexibility for in-season maneuvering if they also carried Ort. He’ll be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days. Ort has less than three years of MLB service and no prior outright assignments, so the Astros could keep him around as a non-roster invitee if he gets through waivers unclaimed.

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Houston Astros Transactions Kaleb Ort

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Astros Place Yordan Alvarez On Injured List

By Darragh McDonald | September 19, 2025 at 3:40pm CDT

The Astros have placed outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, retroactive to September 16th. That open an active roster spot for infielder Isaac Paredes. It was reported earlier that Paredes would be reinstated from the 60-day IL. To open a 40-man spot for Paredes, reliever Kaleb Ort has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Earlier this week, Alvarez slipped on home plate while coming around to score a run against the Rangers, as seen in this video from MLB.com. After the game, manager Joe Espada said Alvarez would be going for an MRI and Alvarez was seen in a walking boot and on crutches. The next day, Espada described the injury as “pretty significant” and that Alvarez would be “out for a while.”

The Astros didn’t initially place Alvarez on the IL as they waited to evaluate his progress, but now have decided to do so. IL placements can be backdated by three days, so Alvarez can be reinstated in a week.

It’s unclear if the injury will actually allow that to be a real possibility, however, making it a situation to watch going forward. Alvarez has been one of the best hitters alive in recent years. He slumped earlier this year but it was later revealed he had an undiagnosed finger fracture. He spent some time on the IL healing up and seemed to be back to his old self once he returned. He slashed .369/.462/.569 in 78 plate appearances between that previous IL stint and this new one.

Losing that kind of bat is obviously less than ideal for the Astros, especially when they are still playing meaningful games. They are tied with the Mariners for the West division lead and the two clubs begin an incredibly important series against each other tonight. If the Astros lose that series and fall back of the M’s, they would still be in possession of a Wild Card spot, but that would put them at risk of missing the playoffs completely. The Guardians are the top team outside the postseason spots right now and they are only 2.5 games back of Houston.

Even if the Astros hang on and make it to October, they will be hamstrung unless Alvarez can make it back. In the event he can return to the club for the final days of the regular season or in the postseason, it could create a bit of a lineup clog. Paredes is coming back after a lengthy injury absence of his own due to a hamstring strain. He has been taking batting practice lately but hasn’t played any rehab games. He’s serving as the designated hitter tonight but it’s unclear if the Astros have any intention of having him play the field in the coming weeks.

Getting Alvarez back to a state of semi-health where he can hit would be great, though it’s less than perfect if both he and Paredes are in that bucket. That would mean one of them would have to sit or be forced into the field each day. Jose Altuve is also ideally suited for a DH role these days since his glovework isn’t great anywhere, but he’ll have to be out there in the field somewhere if Paredes or Alvarez are in the DH spot going forward.

As for Ort, this transfer definitively ends his season. He landed on the 15-day IL in early September due to right elbow inflammation. It was reported shortly thereafter that he wasn’t likely to return during the regular season. This transfer also wipes out any chance of him appearing in the postseason, even if the Astros make a deep run. He finishes the year with a 4.89 earned run average in 46 innings. He can be retained for four more years after this one but is out of options and may be on the roster bubble this winter, given his mediocre results this year and uncertain health status.

Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images

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Houston Astros Newsstand Transactions Isaac Paredes Kaleb Ort Yordan Alvarez

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Astros’ Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort Unlikely To Return In Regular Season

By Steve Adams | September 8, 2025 at 11:21am CDT

Astros relievers Bennett Sousa and Kaleb Ort aren’t likely to make it back to the big league roster before the end of the regular season, general manager Dana Brown revealed in a radio appearance on SportsTalk 790 AM this weekend (via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). A return during the postseason is possible for both pitchers. Sousa has been out since Aug. 20 due to a mild flexor/pronator strain. Ort landed on the 15-day IL this past Friday due to elbow inflammation.

Sousa, 30, emerged from relative obscurity with a breakout performance in 2025. The ’Stros claimed him off waivers in Sept. 2023 and were already his fifth organization of the calendar year at that point. He pitched 6 1/3 shutout frames down the stretch, showing enough to hold a 40-man roster spot. Sousa didn’t pitch in the majors or minors in 2024, however, as he required surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in early April.

Returning just over one year later, Sousa’s first appearance in the majors this season came on April 9. He opened the year with eight scoreless innings before finally yielding his first run, and he hasn’t really looked back. In 50 2/3 frames, Sousa has shown virtually no ill effect from the surgery. If anything, he’s better than ever.

Sousa has worked a career-high number of innings and is sitting on a sharp 2.84 ERA that’s supported by metrics like FIP (2.73) and SIERA (2.95). He’s set down a hearty 29.6% of his opponents on strikes, issued walks to just 7.5% of the batters he’s faced, and has allowed only 0.71 homers per nine innings pitched. Left-handers have posted a terrible .145/.191/.242 batting line against him, and while righties have been better than that — it’d be hard to be much worse — they’re still sporting a rather tepid .235/.300/.378 slash against him. Sousa was virtually untouchable through early July (1.83 ERA), but he struggled to a 4.96 mark with vastly worse command in 16 1/3 innings before hitting the IL last month.

Ort hasn’t been as effective, but his 4.89 ERA is arguably a bit misleading. He’s had two complete nightmare outings this season — one in which he was tagged for five runs in one-third of an inning and another one (his last before hitting the IL) where he surrendered four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Any pitcher will look better when you toss out his worst couple outings of the season, but Ort has a 3.20 ERA through 45 innings in his other 47 appearances.

Command has been one of two glaring flaws for Ort, evidenced both by his 13.9% walk rate and his 1.57 HR/9 mark. The other is his susceptibility to left-handed hitters. When facing fellow righties, he’s yielded only a .188/.311/.317 batting line. Left-handers have bludgeoned him at a .254/.342/.524 clip.

Ort hasn’t been a key piece of the Astros’ high-leverage corps. He’s typically worked in middle relief. Sousa has tallied seven holds and four saves, and his role had begun to increase after Josh Hader was lost for the remainder of the regular season in mid-August. Hader, Sousa and Ort all hope to be able to return in October, but their absence complicates Houston’s path to postseason ball.

The Astros are still very, very strong postseason favorites, but they’re hardly locks to win the division. Houston sits 2.5 games up on Seattle at the moment, and the two teams still have a three-game series against each other on the schedule. It’d take a considerable collapse to drop out of the playoff field entirely, but it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility (even if it’s a long shot).

A full contingent of relievers, obviously, would improve the Astros’ chances of hanging onto the division lead, but they’re instead trying to piece together the bulk of the relief corps. Bryan Abreu, Bryan King and Steven Okert have been strong basically all season, but the rest of the bullpen is filled out by veteran newcomers (Enyel De Los Santos, Craig Kimbrel), rookies (AJ Blubaugh, Jayden Murray, Logan VanWey) and struggling righty Lance McCullers Jr. (6.97 ERA in 50 1/3 innings). Both De Los Santos (0.69 ERA in 13 innings) and Kimbrel (6 2/3 scoreless) have been quite effective, though the latter has walked seven of the 27 batters he’s faced (25.9%).

Houston will keep trying to get by with that patchwork bullpen. Assuming they do make the postseason, it’d be a big boost if even one of those more seasoned arms — Hader or Sousa, in particular — could make it back to Joe Espada’s bullpen, but there’s no guarantee any of the three are back in the fold this year.

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Houston Astros Bennett Sousa Kaleb Ort

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Astros Notes: Meyers, Ort, Dezenzo

By Mark Polishuk | September 6, 2025 at 1:25pm CDT

After close to two months on the injured list, Jake Meyers might make his return to the Astros lineup as early as today.  Meyers played six games during a minor league rehab assignment and then rejoined the big league team for a workout on Friday, though manager Joe Espada (speaking with the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters) didn’t give any hint about when exactly Meyers might be activated from the 10-day IL.

Meyers’ excellent glove earned him at least part-time duty as Houston’s center fielder during his five MLB seasons, and he moved into more of an everyday role in 2024.  Continuing that regular job this year, Meyers responded with his best sustained stretch of hitting, as he batted .308/.369/.405 with three homers and 14 steals (in 19 attempts) over his first 322 plate appearances of 2025.  However, this impressive start was interrupted by a right calf strain that has kept Meyers on the IL since early July.

If Meyers is able to keep up that hot hitting along with his customary defense, he’ll suddenly be a tremendous all-around addition for an Astros club fighting to stay in first place in the AL West.  Houston has remained in first place despite dealing with a ton of injuries, and even with Meyers on the verge of returning, the IL carousel continued yesterday when Kaleb Ort was placed on the 15-day injured list.  (Colton Gordon was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Gordon started yesterday’s game with the Rangers.)

Ort is dealing with right elbow inflammation, and according to Espada, Ort was feeling sore in the aftermath of his most recent outing — a rough two-thirds of an inning against the Yankees that saw Ort charged with four runs.  There isn’t yet any word on the seriousness of Ort’s injury, yet given both the calendar and the caution teams usually deploy with elbow injuries, it is possible Ort’s season might be in jeopardy even if his scans come back clean.

Now in his fifth MLB season, Ort had a bit of a breakout in 2024, posting a 2.55 ERA over 24 2/3 innings in his first year in Houston.  Things haven’t gone as smoothly this year, as Ort missed the first month due to an oblique strain, and has a 4.89 ERA and an inflated 13.9% walk rate over 46 relief innings.  Ort did seem to be getting on track with a 1.80 ERA in the 15 innings pitched prior to Thursday’s meltdown against the Yankees.

If there’s still hope that Ort can make it back before the season is over, Zach Dezenzo’s outlook looks much more uncertain.  The Astros announced yesterday that Dezenzo was pulled off his rehab assignment after suffering a right elbow sprain.  As Espada told Kawahara and company, Dezenzo hurt his elbow making a throw on Tuesday during a game with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Dezenzo’s last game with the Astros came on May 31, as he suffered a capsule sprain his left hand that sent him to the 10-day and eventually the 60-day version of the injured list.  The elbow issue surfaced just as Dezenzo seemed to be approaching a return to the majors, as the outfielder was playing in his fifth rehab game.

It’s a tough break for what may end up as a lost season for the 25-year-old.  Dezenzo made his Major League debut in 2024, and he has a .244/.305/.369 slash line over 174 career PA at the big league level.  This brief time in the Show saw Dezenzo utilized primarily at first base and in both corner outfield slots, with a few fill-in appearances as a third baseman last year.

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Houston Astros Notes Colton Gordon Jake Meyers Kaleb Ort Zach Dezenzo

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Astros Activate Kaleb Ort, Place Forrest Whitley On 15-Day IL

By Mark Polishuk | April 27, 2025 at 7:10pm CDT

The Astros activated right-hander Kaleb Ort from the 15-day injured list today, and placed righty Forrest Whitley on the 15-day IL (retroactive to April 24) in the corresponding move.  Ort didn’t see any action in today’s 7-3 win over the Royals, so the reliever is still waiting to make his season debut after beginning the year on the IL due to an oblique strain.

Whitley also began the season on the IL due to a bone bruise on his left knee, but after making just one appearance, Whitley now finds himself back on the shelf with a left knee sprain.  Manager Joe Espada told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Whitley’s two injuries are likely linked, and the reliever will undergo more testing on Monday to determine the extent of the issue.  The decision was made to place Whitley on the IL when he reported more knee soreness after a game of catch on Saturday, Espada said.

It represents yet another setback for Whitley, as the former top prospect has dealt with multiple injuries and a 50-game PED suspension during his long minor league career.  Chosen 17th overall in the 2016 draft, Whitley finally made it to the Show last year, throwing 3 1/3 scoreless (despite five hits and three walks) innings over three appearances for the 2024 Astros.  His big league ERA has remained spotless through his fourth career game, as he tossed two more scoreless frames in mop-up duty during Houston’s 7-0 win over the Blue Jays on April 21.

Whitley’s multiple injuries have already altered his career path from starting to relief pitching, and he had very strong results working in a full-time bullpen role with Triple-A Round Rock in 2024.  There is still plenty of opportunity for the 27-year-old Whitley to carve out a niche for himself in the majors, if he can only stay healthy.

Speaking of late bloomers, Ort had a 6.27 ERA in 51 2/3 career MLB innings (all with the Red Sox) before he broke out with Houston last year in his age-32 season.  After being claimed off waivers from the Orioles last May, Ort posted a 2.55 ERA, 28% strikeout rate, and 4.3% walk rate across 24 2/3 innings out of the Astros’ pen.  While Ort benefited from some favorable batted-ball luck, his metrics were still intriguing enough to indicate that he can be a helpful bullpen piece for Espada’s team.

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    Rangers To Sign Jordan Montgomery

    Tigers Sign Justin Verlander

    Rockies To Sign Jose Quintana

    Shane Bieber To Begin Season On Injured List; Bowden Francis To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Rays Sign Nick Martinez

    Tigers Sign Framber Valdez To Three-Year Deal

    Anthony Santander To Undergo Shoulder Surgery, Out 5-6 Months

    Rockies Sign Tomoyuki Sugano, Place Kris Bryant On 60-Day IL

    Diamondbacks Sign Carlos Santana

    Giants Sign Luis Arraez

    Recent

    Rangers Top Prospect Sebastian Walcott To Undergo Elbow Surgery

    Dodgers, Max Muncy Agree To Extension

    Guardians, Ben Lively Finalizing Minor League Deal

    D-backs Notes: Lawlar, Burnes, Bullpen, Santana

    Braves Notes: Jimenez, Holmes, Alvarez

    The Opener: Pitchers & Catchers, Castellanos, Quintana

    Orioles To Sign Chris Bassitt

    Angels Bullpen Notes: Joyce, Stephenson, Sandlin

    A’s Have Two Rotation Spots Up For Grabs In Camp

    Twins To Sign Julian Merryweather To Minor League Deal

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