The Astros made a roster move Wednesday that looks tied directly to Jeremy Peña’s hand. Houston recalled infielder Raynel Delgado from Triple-A Sugar Land and designated outfielder Nelson Velázquez for assignment to clear the spot.
Peña was hit by a pitch on his hand last night, and manager Joe Espada said today, including to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that an MRI showed no structural damage. Peña is still sore, but the club is hoping he can avoid an injured list stint. Nick Allen is handling shortstop tonight, but Houston didn’t have another true shortstop on the roster, so Delgado gives them a needed backup while Peña nurses the injury.
That extra infielder came at the expense of an outfielder, and Velázquez was the odd man out. He’s out of options, and Houston only claimed him off waivers ten days ago. Since joining the Astros, he has gone hitless in five plate appearances, though this move was clearly driven more by roster logistics than that tiny sample.
Because the trade deadline has passed, Velázquez now has to go through waivers. He could draw some attention as a platoon option, which appears to be part of why Houston picked him up in the first place.
In 88 plate appearances this season, mostly with the Cardinals, he has hit .205/.273/.410 overall. The right-handed hitter has launched four home runs, all against lefties, and his .186/.269/.441 line versus southpaws is dragged down by a .194 batting average on balls in play.
Even with that poor luck, the power has been enough for a 94 wRC+.
His career splits are fairly modest: a .205/.297/.431 line and 102 wRC+ against lefties, compared with a .215/.277/.430 line and 93 wRC+ against righties. The bat has been ordinary enough and the defense poor enough to leave him on the roster bubble.
He had already run through his options and entered this season on a minor league deal with the Cardinals. Since he has a previous career outright, he would be able to elect free agency if he clears waivers again.
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