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Pedro Leon

Phillies Claim Pedro León

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The Phillies announced they have claimed outfielder Pedro León off waivers from the Orioles. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported the claim prior to the official announcement. The O’s had designated him for assignment a few days ago. Philadelphia’s roster count climbs from 33 to 34.

León, 28 in May, was once a notable prospect but his stock has fallen in recent years. After he defected from Cuba, the Astros signed him via a $4MM signing bonus in January of 2021. He featured prominently on prospect lists for a few years but has hit a few roadblocks.

From 2021 to 2023, his results in the minors were passable but unexciting. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances and produced a combined line of .233/.350/.419. That resulted in a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above league average but barely.

In 2024, he still struck out 27% of the time put up a huge .299/.372/.514 line in Triple-A. Even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, was good enough for a 130 wRC+, or 30% better than league average. He got to make his major league debut that year but hit just .100/.143/.100 in a tiny sample of 21 plate appearances. 2025 was mostly a lost year, as he sprained the MCL in his left knee and was limited to just 22 Triple-A contests, with a .241/.312/.422 and wRC+ of 89 in 94 plate appearances.

The Astros had a roster crunch at season’s end, which bumped León to the waiver wire. The O’s grabbed him but bumped him off less than two weeks later due to their own roster crunch. For the Phils, it’s a pretty sensible addition. They have tons of roster space to work with at the moment. León still has options, meaning he doesn’t need to be guaranteed a spot on the big league roster. They are planning to remake their outfield this winter. Time will tell how that plays out, but it seems likely they will move on from Nick Castellanos while pursuing external additions. Even if there’s no spot for León when the dust settles, they can send him to Triple-A to see if he engineers a post-hype breakout.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Orioles Announce Four Roster Moves

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The Orioles have designated outfielder Pedro Leon and infielder Luis Vazquez for assignment, per a team announcement. Their roster spots go to right-hander Cameron Foster and outfielder Reed Trimble, who have been selected to the 40-man roster and are now protected from being poached in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

Once a high-profile international signing by the Astros, Leon originally received a $4MM signing bonus from Houston. He ranked as one of the Astros’ top prospects for several seasons but has stalled out in the upper minors and landed with the O’s by way of waiver claim earlier this offseason. He’s just 2-for-20 in seven big league games and has a .252/.354/.447 batting line in parts of five Triple-A seasons. Leon still runs well, but he’ll be 28 next May and has yet to make a big impact in Triple-A, let alone in the majors.

Vazquez, 26, signed a big league deal for the 2026 season earlier this month. He was already on Baltimore’s 40-man roster, so agreeing to terms was a matter of setting his salary for the upcoming season. The O’s frequently sign depth pieces like this to salaries slightly north of the league minimum, often times with a minor league split that’s also higher than average, with the aim of passing them through waivers and stashing them. The slightly higher major league and Triple-A salaries both help the player pass through waivers and ensure that they won’t elect free agency if and when they’re outrighted.

In parts of two big league seasons, Vazquez is a .145/.194/.210 hitter, but that’s in a minuscule sample of 67 plate appearances. In parts of five Triple-A seasons, Vazquez is a .252/.340/.408 hitter. He can play three infield positions and popped 20 homers in a season between Double-A and Triple-A back in 2023.

Foster, 27, came to the O’s as part of the July trade sending Gregory Soto to the Mets. He posted a 3.11 ERA, 32.6% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate in 46 1/3 innings between the Mets’ Double-A affiliate, their Triple-A affiliate and the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate. He’ll turn 27 next March.

Trimble, 25, was selected with the No. 65 overall pick by Baltimore back in 2021. He hit .259/.342/.486 with 17 home runs and 21 steals across four minor league levels — mostly Double-A and Triple-A. He’s not considered one of the Orioles’ most prominent prospects, but Trimble is a switch-hitter with some power and speed who can handle all three outfield slots.

Orioles Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Orioles announced a series of roster tweaks on Thursday. Baltimore has selected right-hander Anthony Nunez to their 40-man roster. Right-hander Shawn Dubin and outfielders Dylan Carlson and Daniel Johnson have been outrighted off the roster. Left-hander Josh Walker and right-hander Carson Ragsdale were designated for assignment. Baltimore claimed outfielder Pedro Leon off waivers from the Astros, while left-hander Jose Castillo was claimed by the Mets.

The team also exercised its club option on right-hander Andrew Kittredge, whom they acquired from the Cubs earlier this week. The Orioles declined their club option on utilityman Jorge Mateo, who is now a free agent. They also announced the signing of outfielder Leody Taveras, a deal that had been reported yesterday. The litany of moves brought Baltimore’s 40-man roster to 40 players.

Nunez came over at the trade deadline in the Cedric Mullins deal, along with fellow pitching prospects Raimon Gómez and Chandler Marsh. The 24-year-old was originally signed as a shortstop by San Diego in 2019. After a pair of uninspiring seasons at the lowest rungs of the minors, he converted to pitching. The Mets signed Nunez in 2024. He tossed 10 innings between the Complex league and Single-A that season. High-A hitters were no match for Nunez in 2025, as he dominated with a 0.63 ERA and a 46.2% strikeout rate over 14 1/3 innings. Nunez moved to Double-A in May and continued to pitch well, recording a 2.10 ERA over 22 outings. After the trade, he pitched a game for Double-A Chesapeake before heading to Triple-A. Nunez held hitters to a .125 batting average while striking them out at a 32.3% clip over 16 games with Norfolk.

Carlson and Johnson cleared waivers and elected free agency. Dubin also made it through waivers and is a minor league free agent. Carlson is the biggest name of the bunch, but it’s been a while since his days as a top prospect for the Cardinals. Since a strong 2021 campaign with St. Louis, he’s steadily declined at the plate. The 27-year-old bottomed out with a 67 wRC+ over 96 games split between the Cardinals and Rays in 2024. Baltimore took a flyer on him, but he scuffled to a .203/.278/.336 slash line across 241 plate appearances. He’ll now be looking for his fourth team in three seasons.

Johnson has spent parts of four MLB seasons with three teams. Baltimore grabbed him off waivers from San Francisco in August. He went 5-for-24 in 17 games with the Orioles. Dubin was also an August waiver claim, coming over from the Astros. He threw eight innings with Baltimore, pitching to a 3.38 ERA.

Walker has bounced around plenty over the last year and a half. The Mets traded him to the Pirates midway through 2024. He signed with Toronto as a minor league free agent last offseason. The Blue Jays traded him to the Phillies at the end of May. After Philadelphia designated him for assignment in August, the Orioles claimed him off waivers. Walker has a 6.59 ERA across 26 big-league appearances over the past three seasons.

Ragsdale and Castillo are no strangers to waiver claims, including moves that involved each other. Baltimore claimed Ragsdale from San Francisco in August, only to toss him back on the waiver pile when they grabbed Castillo. The Orioles claimed Ragsdale again in September, this time from the Braves.

Houston signed Leon in 2021. He reached Triple-A that same season. Leon slashed .299/.372/.514 with Sugar Land in 2024, leading to a brief call-up. He recorded a pair of hits over seven games with the Astros before heading back to Triple-A. An MCL sprain cost Leon the majority of the 2025 campaign. He played just 25 games this past season.

Orioles To Claim Pedro León

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The Orioles have claimed outfielder Pedro León off waivers from the Astros, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. It was reported earlier this week that Houston had put several players on waivers, including León, as they looked to clear out some roster space. The O’s will need to make space on their 40-man roster to make the move official.

Baltimore is taking a flier on a post-hype prospect. León was a high-profile signing out of Cuba several years ago. In January of 2021, the Astros gave him a $4MM signing bonus. He was ranked as one of the top prospects in the system for the next few years. He’s now 27 years old, turning 28 in May, but hasn’t yet delivered on that hype. He has only appeared in seven big league games thus far. He struck out in 10 of his 21 plate appearances as he has produced a .100/.143/.100 line.

That’s obviously a tiny sample of work but his minor league track record also isn’t great. From 2021 to 2023, he hit .233/.350/.419 on the farm. That offense translates to a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above average but barely. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances in that time.

In 2024, he had a monster .299/.372/.514 showing in Triple-A. He still struck out at a fairly high 27% clip but that offense was good enough for a 130 wRC+, even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League. Here in 2025, a sprained MCL in his left knee limited him to just 22 Triple-A contests. He hit .241/.312/.422 for a wRC+ of 89 in those.

Obviously, the Astros were hoping for more when they signed him. The Orioles are hoping that a late-bloomer breakout can come in their organization. León is still optionable, so they could keep him in the minors. He showed big potential in 2024 before the injury-marred 2025. Ideally, the O’s will get a healthy and productive season from León in 2026. If that comes to pass, he could push his way into their outfield mix as the season goes along. Currently, that group includes Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers, Jeremiah Jackson, Leody Taveras and others.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Astros Put Five Players On Outright Waivers

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The Astros have put five players on outright waivers, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. They are outfielders Chas McCormick, Kenedy Corona and Pedro León, left-hander John Rooney and right-hander Luis Garcia. Michael Schwab of The Ice Box reported on McCormick earlier today.

Some roster maintenance was inevitable for the Astros. They had a large number of injuries in 2025, leading to several players ending up on the 60-day injured list. The IL goes away five days after the World Series and doesn’t return until spring training, so the club would need to open some spots.

Garcia, 29 in December, was an easy cut. 2026 was slated to be his final arbitration season before he qualified for free agency. He underwent Tommy John surgery last month and is going to miss that entire campaign. The Astros weren’t going to tender him a contract, so he’s been bumped off the roster now.

For the same reasons, he should pass through waivers unclaimed, unless some club wants to work out a two-year deal covering his recovery and theoretical return to the mound in 2027. But it’s more likely that clubs wait for him to clear and become a free agent before discussing such deals with him.

McCormick, 31 in April, is the other guy in this batch with notable major league experience. He was a solid contributor for the Astros from 2021 to 2023. He struck out a lot but hit at least 14 home runs in each of those campaigns. He slashed a combined .259/.336/.449 for a 120 wRC+ in that span with 27 stolen bases and strong defensive grades, with contributions in the postseason as well.

Unfortunately, he’s been nowhere near that productive in the past two years. He has slashed .211/.273/.301 since the start of 2024, production that translates to a 64 wRC+. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a $3.4MM arbitration salary next year. After two years of struggles, the Astros were probably going to non-tender him.

He is controllable through the 2027 season, so perhaps he gets claimed by some club who views him as a change-of-scenery candidate. However, it’s also possible that clubs wait for him to clear and then reach free agency, at which point they could try to sign him at a lower price point than the projected salary.

León, 28 in May, was once a high-profile signing out of Cuba but he hasn’t yet been able to deliver on the hype. He has only played in seven big league games so far. His minor league numbers have been more decent than amazing. A sprained MCL in his left knee put him on the shelf for most of 2025, limiting him to just 25 games.

It’s possible León garners interest from other clubs based on his past prospect pedigree. He still has options and could be stashed in the minors next year. While his 2025 was mostly a lost year, he slashed .299/.372/.514 in Triple-A last year for a 130 wRC+.

Corona, 26 in March, was an international signing of the Mets. He came to the Astros in the December 2019 trade which sent Jake Marisnick to Queens. Houston put Corona on their 40-man roster in November 2023, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

His numbers have backed up since then. He has only played in three big league games. He has a .217/.311/.309 batting line and 74 wRC+ in the minors dating back to the start of 2024. That was a big drop from his 2022 and 2023 production, as he slashed .264/.346/.475 for a 116 wRC+ over those seasons. Like León, he still has options, which could increase the chances some other club grabs him as a depth option.

Rooney, 29 in January, was just acquired from the Marlins in an August cash deal. He has one big league appearance under his belt, having allowed one earned run over 1 1/3 innings for the Astros on August 24th. He tossed 38 2/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 2.56 earned run average, 34.2% strikeout rate, 14.9% walk rate and 42.5% ground ball rate. The lefty underwent surgery late in the year remove bone spurs and address tennis elbow. Per Rome, he’s expected to miss the entire 2026 season.

Garcia and McCormick each have enough service time to reject outright assignments and elect free agency if they clear waivers. Rooney and Corona have been in the minors for at least seven years, meaning they would be eligible for minor league free agency five days after the World Series, if they are off the roster by then. León doesn’t have seven years in the minors, nor does he have three years of service or a previous career outright. If he clears waivers, the Astros should be able to keep him as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Astros Select Jordan Weems

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The Astros announced to reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that right-hander Jordan Weems has been selected to the roster. He’ll take the active roster spot of fellow righty Shawn Dubin, who has landed on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain. Outfielder Pedro León has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot.

Dubin has thrown 20 1/3 innings for the Astros this year with a 1.33 earned run average. That’s a fairly misleading number, however, as he won’t be able to maintain a 99.1% strand rate forever. His 22.2% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate are closer to average, hence his 3.76 FIP and 3.73 SIERA being closer to par as well. Per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle, Dubin hopes the strain is minor and believes he can avoid surgery. He had an MRI yesterday which will presumably determine if his feelings are accurate or not.

For now, Weems will take his roster spot. The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with Houston earlier this month. He has since tossed 11 1/3 innings over nine Triple-A appearances with a 3.97 ERA. His 19.6% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate in that time were both subpar figures but his 54.3% ground ball rate was quite strong.

That’s obviously a small sample of work to judge. Weems has a larger track record of major league pitching, mostly with the Nationals. He had a decent two-year run for Washington over 2022 and 2023, logging 94 1/3 innings over those two seasons with a 4.29 ERA. His 10.1% walk rate was a tad high but he also struck out 25.4% of batters faced.

Since then, his results have backed up. His ERA spiked to 6.70 last year, with his strikeout and walk rate each worsening to 17.9% and 12.2% respectively. He was outrighted off the roster during the season and became a free agent. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta but was released after posting a 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 Triple-A innings.

Weems will give the Astros a fresh arm with some major league experience on his track record. He is out of options, so he’ll effectively have to be designated for assignment if the club wants to remove him from the active roster at any point.

As for León, he started the season on the 15-day IL due to a left MCL sprain. He’s already been on the shelf more than 60 days, so he’s eligible for reinstatement at any time. He doesn’t appear close to a return, however. He started a rehab assignment in late May but was pulled off that after just five games.

Photo courtesy of Mike Lang, Imagn Images

Astros Designate Cooper Hummel For Assignment

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The Astros have designated catcher/infielder/outfielder Cooper Hummel for assignment and placed righty J.P. France on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from last summer’s shoulder surgery. That pair of moves opens two additional spots on a 40-man roster that already had two vacancies. The four openings will go to righty Rafael Montero, lefty Steven Okert, second baseman Brendan Rodgers and top prospect Cam Smith, all of whom have been selected to the 40-man roster and are on the Opening Day club.

Houston also placed outfielders Pedro Leon and Taylor Trammell on the 10-day injured list due to a knee strain and calf strain, respectively. Right-handers Shawn Dubin, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., Kaleb Ort and Forrest Whitley have all been placed on the 15-day IL.

The Astros had telegraphed all these moves. They’d already announced that Montero, Okert, Smith and Rodgers were making the team. Houston had previously informed Hummel that he would not break camp. Since he’s out of options, that made a DFA or waiver placement inevitable. France, who’ll be out into at least July rehabbing last year’s shoulder procedure, was an obvious 60-day IL candidate to open the final roster spot.

Houston claimed Hummel off waivers from the Giants last spring. They outrighted him off the 40-man roster a couple weeks later but reselected his contract in June when they released José Abreu. He spent most of the season in Triple-A, exhausting his final option season in the process. Hummel went 0-8 with a pair of strikeouts in his big league work. He had a solid year in Triple-A, hitting .277/.419/.454 with a massive 17.9% walk rate through 442 plate appearances.

The Astros will have five days to trade Hummel or place him on waivers. He’s not viewed as a regular behind the plate, but he can catch on occasion while playing first base or the corner outfield. His patient plate approach has translated to a .285/.419/.480 career slash in Triple-A. He owns just a .159/.255/.275 line with a 31.9% strikeout rate over 82 major league games.

Trammell, Whitley, Ort and Dubin are all out of options themselves. Their Spring Training injuries delay the Astros’ need to make a decision on any of them, as they’ll begin the year on the major league IL. Ort has the best chance of holding a roster spot once he returns after pitching to a 2.55 ERA with a 28% strikeout rate last season.

Astros Notes: Dubin, Leon, Ort, Trammell

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The Astros are dealing with a handful of injuries to depth players in camp. Manager Joe Espada told reporters this morning that reliever Shawn Dubin is battling shoulder inflammation. Meanwhile, young outfielder Pedro León sustained a strained MCL in his left knee (relayed by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle).

While there’s no suggestion of surgery for either player, it seems they’ll each be in for notable absences. Both injuries figure to force them to begin the season on the injured list. Houston also took hits to their bullpen and outfield depth late last week. Chandler Rome of The Athletic wrote on Friday that righty reliever Kaleb Ort was battling a left oblique issue. Meanwhile, outfielder Taylor Trammell suffered what appears to be a significant right calf strain (per the MLB.com injury tracker).

In isolation, none of those injuries represents a huge blow. León has appeared in seven major league games. He’s likely to start the season with Triple-A Sugar Land once he’s healthy. The former highly-regarded prospect hit 24 homers and stole 29 bases in the minors last season. That came with an elevated 27% strikeout rate. As he enters his age-27 season, he’s unlikely to take a big step forward with his plate discipline. Baseball America ranked him the #18 prospect in a weak Houston farm system. BA writes that León projects as a depth outfielder whose power and speed are undercut by the swing-and-miss issues and fringe outfield defense.

This is a big camp for each of Dubin, Ort and Trammell. All three have exhausted their minor league options. They need to stick on the major league roster (or injured list) or be exposed to waivers. Dubin tossed 45 1/3 frames in a multi-inning relief role last year. He pitched to a 4.17 ERA with solid strikeout (23.7%) and ground-ball (46.5%) rates, but he walked almost 13% of batters faced. The Astros used him mostly in low-leverage relief.

Ort, 33, was a waiver claim from Baltimore last May. He pitched well in 22 big league appearances, working to a 2.55 ERA behind a 28% strikeout rate across 24 2/3 frames. Ort had entered the season with a career earned run average north of 6.00, but he probably showed enough in his relatively small sample with Houston to stick in middle relief. He’s a power arm who can miss bats but had inconsistent control in the minors.

Houston acquired Trammell in a minor league trade with the Yankees at the start of the offseason. The Astros added him to their 40-man roster to keep him from qualifying for minor league free agency. A former top prospect, Trammell has only hit .167/.270/.363 over 126 major league games. He had an impressive .256/.381/.488 line in Triple-A with the Yankees last year. As with León, that came with an alarming number of strikeouts (a 26.8% rate). Houston spent most of the offseason looking for lefty-hitting outfield help after the Kyle Tucker trade. Their only move was to bring back Ben Gamel on a non-guaranteed contract. Trammell and Gamel might battle for one roster spot, espeically with Jose Altuve seeing time in left field.

Astros To Select Pedro Leon’s Contract

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In the aftermath of tonight’s trade that brought Yusei Kikuchi to Houston in exchange for a three-player trade package, the Astros will fill one of their roster spots with outfield prospect Pedro Leon.  MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (X link) reports that the Astros will select Leon’s contract to the 40-man roster, giving the 26-year-old his first taste of big league baseball.

Baseball America ranked Leon as the top prospect available when he officially signed his $4MM deal with the Astros in 2021, though at age 22, he was significantly older than most members of the 2020-21 international signing class.  He had already played two seasons in Cuba’s National Series before defecting, and he didn’t play at all in 2019 or 2020 due to paperwork delays, the pandemic, and the fact that the Astros didn’t have the bonus pool space to sign him until the 2020-21 window opened.

Leon reached Triple-A Sugar Land before the end of the 2021 season, but he has remained at the top affiliate ever since, hitting .249/.357/.445 with 57 home runs in 1567 total Triple-A appearances.  That slash line includes a marked step up in production this season, as Leon has hit .297/.377/.519 with 19 homers over 424 PA in 2024.

Plenty of caveats abound with these numbers.  Leon is now 26 and playing against generally much younger competition, and batting totals tend to be inflated in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.  In addition, his .374 BABIP suggests a lot of batted-ball fortune, and his 8.7% is the lowest of his three full Triple-A seasons.  Leon has slightly reduced his strikeout rate from past years, but only to 26.2%.

MLB Pipeline ranks Leon 24th among all Astros prospects, with Baseball America putting him 29th in their evaluation of Houston’s farm system.  The strikeouts are naturally a big concern in regards to how Leon might fare against Major League pitching, even if Leon does show good power than he does make contact.  He has plus speed (86 steals in 121 attempts at Sugar Land) and a very strong throwing arm but is considered an average fielder at best, likely suited for corner outfield work.

Kyle Tucker’s continued stint on the injured list has left a big hole in Houston’s outfield, though it might be hard for Leon to find consistent playing time with Trey Cabbage, Chas McCormick, and utilityman Mauricio Dubon ahead of him on the depth chart.  Leon is a right-handed hitter, adding to an Astros roster that already tilts toward the right side.

Astros’ Prospect Pedro Leon Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery

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The Astros informed reporters this afternoon that prospect Pedro León will not be ready for the start of Spring Training after undergoing sports hernia surgery earlier this week (relayed by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). The procedure comes with a six-to-eight week recovery timetable, so León still looks to be in position to start the regular season on time.

León, 24, was a high-profile international signee for Houston over the 2020-21 offseason. A native of Cuba, he didn’t reach the amateur free agent market until he was headed into his age-23 campaign. He was nevertheless regarded as one of the more talented players in that signing class and his experience meant he was far more advanced than the typical signee, most of whom join clubs as teenagers. He was assigned to Double-A during his first professional campaign and made it to Triple-A Sugar Land later in the season.

The right-handed hitter spent all of last season with the Space Cowboys. Through 504 plate appearances, he hit .228/.365/.431, connecting on 17 home runs and stealing 38 bases. Promising as his combination of speed, plate discipline and power potential is, León also showed some areas of concern. He was caught stealing on 18 occasions and struck out in nearly 29% of his trips to the dish. Baseball America named him the #6 prospect in the Houston organization this offseason, praising his physical abilities but raising questions about his contact skills.

Initially signed as a shortstop, León mostly moved to the outfield last year. He made 52 starts in center field and 33 more in right while playing 23 games in the middle infield (all but three at second base). Given his upper level experience, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him factor into the MLB outfield during the upcoming season. Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubón and Jake Meyers are each on the 40-man roster and ahead of León on the depth chart for now, though the young player could find himself in the mix midseason. He has not yet been added to the 40-man.

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