The Astros have made a post-deadline shuffle, claiming outfielder Nelson Velázquez off waivers from the Cardinals and designating infielder/outfielder Shay Whitcomb for assignment.
Velázquez, 27, opened the year on a minor league deal with St. Louis before getting called up in late May.
He stayed on the big league roster a little more than two months, then lost his spot when the Cardinals claimed Everson Pereira. In that stretch, he struck out 30.1% of the time but also launched four homers and produced a .216/.289/.432 slash line.
The bat is the whole draw with Velázquez, because the defense has never been the selling point. His offensive line this season translated to a 98 wRC+, which means he was 2% below league average.
That’s not a total disaster, but it’s not much for a player whose value has to come from the stick. He’s also out of options, which is what pushed him onto waivers in the first place.
Houston’s interest makes sense from the handedness angle. A few days ago, reporting said the Astros were looking for a right-handed complement to a group of lefty bats in their outfield, including Daulton Varsho, Taylor Trammell and LaMonte Wade Jr.
Velázquez has been more productive against lefties this year, posting a .200/.286/.473 line. The average looks light, but the number is dragged down by a .212 batting average on balls in play. All four of his home runs have come against southpaws, even though he has also struck out at a 30.2% clip in that split while drawing walks 9.5% of the time.
With the trade deadline gone, Houston’s options are thin. The club had been linked to Rob Refsnyder and Austin Hays in its search for a right-handed bat, but Hays has since signed with the Padres. Refsnyder remains available, but for now the Astros are taking their shot on Velázquez.
That move costs Whitcomb his roster spot. Houston picked him in the fifth round in 2020, and he’s been on the big league roster for nearly two years since his first call-up on August 16, 2024. He earned that promotion by raking in Triple-A that season with a .293/.378/.530 line.
The major league production hasn’t matched that burst. Whitcomb has been limited to 102 plate appearances in the majors and is hitting .167/.216/.292 there.
The decline has also shown up in Triple-A. He homered 25 times in 2024 and 2025 combined, but he’s at nine this year.
His walk rate has slipped too, dropping to 8.4% after sitting at 11.1% over 2024 and 2025.
Even with a .274/.338/.420 line and a 97 wRC+ this season, the numbers aren’t carrying him. He’s getting some help from a .357 BABIP, and the overall output still lands below average. Since the deadline has passed, he’ll head to waivers soon.
Whitcomb still has traits that could draw interest. He’s usually good for 20 to 30 steals a year in the minors, and he already has 23 this season.
He also brings enough defensive flexibility to handle any spot on the diamond outside the battery. He remains optionable for the rest of this year and one more season, which could make him a fit for another club willing to stash him at Triple-A and see whether the bat comes back around.
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The Astros kept searching for a better answer to a familiar problem on the outfield depth chart, claiming Nelson Velzquez off waivers from the Cardinals and adding another right-handed bat with some power. His profile fits a need Houston has been trying to address for a while, especially when facing left-handed pitching, where the club has wanted more impact from the right side.
To make the move work on the 40-man roster, the Astros designated Shay Whitcomb for assignment. It is another sign that Houston is still shuffling pieces in hopes of finding a cleaner fit against southpaws, even as the larger question lingers: whether this kind of waiver-wire adjustment can solve a need that has not gone away. [Read more 🡒]
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