Houston Astros: third round of roster cuts announced

The Houston Astros have been dicing up their spring training invites by optioning and reassigning players to the minor leagues the past two weeks. On Tuesday, Brett Conine and Hunter Brown were reassigned and Peter Solomon, Jairo Solis, Freudis Nova and Tyler Ivey were optioned to the minor leagues.

While these players have found out their home is in the minor leagues this season, they are still eligible to play in spring training games and will continue to work out in West Palm Beach. The team has to divvy up the roster to fit 26 players by the start of the season, and in the process, they will start to move players where they see fit. At the moment, the Astros should be around 60 players still waiting orders, and by subtracting the guaranteed 26 players, that leaves 34 cuts to be made.

How have these Astros’ roster cuts performed thus far?

While Houston took on the New York Mets on Tuesday, Peter Solomon, Jairo Solis and Freudis Nova all saw time in Port St. Lucie. Although not having the strongest outings, these three 40-man roster holders have had effective spring campaigns.

Solomon hit the bump twice this spring, while posting an ERA of 4.15 through 4.1 innings of work with seven strikeouts. Solis, now 21-years-old, struggled with runners with a 13.50 ERA in 2.2 innings; the right-hander made the 40-man roster as protection from the Rule 5 Draft, while he has been in the Astros’ system for quite sometime.

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Freudis Nova, who has been identified as the possible utility man of the future, is slashing .417 this spring with three RBIs. The right-hander has looked good in the field and poised at the plate; we could see him as early as Sept. of 2021, if a 26-man roster opens due to an injury or a trade. Tyler Ivey is another 40-man roster holder, as he has gone four innings posting a 0.00 ERA.

Conine has pitched two innings this spring with an ERA of 4.50 and a strikeout. While the right-hander was drafted in 2018, he is now 24-years-old and will need to stand out this summer. Brown has pitched in one inning so far, while posting a 0.00 ERA with a strikeout.