Astros release minor league pitcher Akeem Bostick

The Astros released minor league pitcher Akeem Bostick, who had struggled in Triple-A.

The Astros released right-handed pitcher Akeem Bostick on Friday, who had been pitching for the Triple-A Round Rock Express. Bostick had struggled to a 7.28 ERA in 12 starts and nine relief appearances totaling 80.1 innings this season.

The 24-year-old Bostick was a second-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2013. He came to the Astros in the January 2015 trade that sent catcher Carlos Corporan to Arlington. In what is now his seventh minor league season, however, the 6’6″ pitcher had yet to find success in Triple-A.

He did have some success with Double-A Corpus Christi in 2018, posting a 3.48 ERA in 93 innings. But overall across his minor league career, he simply allowed too many baserunners. Batters hit .271 off of him for his career, and he allowed a 1.402 WHIP.

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He especially struggled lately, pitching to a 10.03 ERA in his last 10 appearances. In this span, he allowed 50 hits and 20 walks in 35 innings, with batters hitting .409 off of him over the last 30 days.

Adds to Pitching Woes

Bostick’s struggles add to some issues Round Rock pitching has had this season. The list of pitchers currently on the IL includes Brady Rodgers, Cionel Perez, Justin Ferrell, Kit Scheetz, Carson LaRue and Gabriel Valdez.

This doesn’t include the fact that Francis Martes has been on the restricted list thanks to Tommy John surgery and a PED suspension, and Reymin Guduan was recently suspended for the rest of the season. Dean Deetz also missed a big chunk of the season due to injury.

Still, there have been some bright spots. Framber Valdez has largely been effective for Round Rock, and Brandon Bielak continues to impress as he moves up the team’s prospect rankings. Cy Sneed has had some success in the majors, as has Rogelio Armenteros.

Still, most of the team’s top pitching prospects are in the lower minors, so the Astros will have to hope some of these less heralded prospects step up to carry the Express and provide pitching depth for the big league club.