Josh Zeid called up from AAA

Reliever Josh Zeid will be joining the Astros on their first road trip of the season. Zeid will be filling in for Matt Albers who is staying in Houston to be with his expectant wife, Tara.

According to Brian McTaggart, Matt and Tara are expecting  their first child to be born on Tuesday. Albers, a native of nearby Sugar Land, signed a one-year deal with the Astros over the winter. In his second stint with his hometown team, Albers has appeared in three games and pitched a total of 4 & 1/3 scoreless innings. Albers was originally drafted by the Astros in 2001 and made his big league debut for Houston in ’06.

Zeid, acquired from the Phillies in the Hunter Pence deal, made his major league debut for the Astros last July. Josh fanned 24 batters in 27 & 2/3 innings in his rookie campaign and was one of the last players optioned to the minors this spring.

Players are given a maximum of three days off for paternity leave. So Zeid’s stay in the majors could be brief. Unless the Astros decide to make another roster move, Zeid should be headed back to Oklahoma City after the Astros’3-game series against the Blue Jays in Toronto. But, anything can happen.