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Astros: A.J. Reed claimed on waivers by White Sox

By Andrew Gleinser

HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: A.J. Reed #23 of the Houston Astros blows a bubble as he looks on from the bench area against the Chicago Cubs at Minute Maid Park on September 9, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: A.J. Reed #23 of the Houston Astros blows a bubble as he looks on from the bench area against the Chicago Cubs at Minute Maid Park on September 9, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Former top prospect A.J. Reed was claimed on waivers by the White Sox, ending his Astros tenure.

When the Astros designated A.J. Reed for assignment last week, it likely spelled the end of his time in the Astros organization. That realization came true on Monday when the Chicago White Sox announced they claimed Reed on waivers.

The move means he simply changes organizations, rather than being traded or released. The White Sox recently designated left-handed first baseman Yonder Alonso for assignment, so Reed will have an opportunity to take his spot on the roster and get some regular playing time in the major leagues.

Never Seized Opportunity

Reed was never able to take a major league spot and run with it in Houston despite being a highly touted prospect. He hit just .153/.253/.244 in 48 games with the Astros after posting some excellent minor league numbers in his rise through the system.

The Astros’ second-round draft pick in 2014, Reed put together a .340/.432/.612 batting line with 34 homers and 127 RBIs in a 2015 season split between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. He popped another 34 homers in Triple-A in 2017 but saw his numbers decline over the past two seasons.

This year, he hit just .224/.329/.469 in 56 games for Triple-A Round Rock. He hit 12 homers in those 56 games but also struck out 67 times. He’s always struck out a relatively high amount, but hasn’t been able to make up for that lately.

Where Astros Go Now

For the time being, Reed’s departure will open up more at-bats for Taylor Jones at Round Rock. The 6’7″ right-handed slugger is hitting .296/.395/.535 in 80 games with 16 homers and 60 RBIs. Jones was a 19th-round draft pick in 2016 out of Gonzaga.

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The first baseman of the future, however, is clearly 2018 first-round draft pick Seth Beer. The left-hander is hitting .319/.411/.546 with 10 homers in 44 games at Double-A Corpus Christi. He’ll hope to go the way of Yordan Alvarez rather than Reed, Jon Singleton and Brett Wallace.

***Statistics courtesy of MiLB.com and Baseball-Reference***

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