Astros’ 40-Man Roster after the Latest CBA Expiration

On Tuesday, the Houston Astros outrighted Andre Scrubb off the 40-man roster and to Triple-A Sugar Land. The right-handed reliever battled injury and command issues in 2021, and while going unclaimed, Scrubb will remain in the organization.

Scrubb was dealt the short-hand, as the Astros needed to add both Justin Verlander and Hector Neris to the 40-man roster. And while tendering contracts to all six of the arbitration eligible players, the Astros needed an extra roster spot.

Verlander’s signing never became official, so the 40-man roster remains at 39. The right-hander reportedly signed with the Astros over two weeks ago, but now, the ball club will have to wait until the next Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place to make Verlander’s signing official.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic believes that there were issues during the physical process that delayed Verlander’s signing, while the righty is coming off Tommy John surgery. One source close to team officials told Climbing Tal’s Hill, “it will get done,” but never offered a timetable on when that would be.

The Astros’ 40-man is at 39 with the CBA expiring, so what does it look like?

The latest Collective Bargaining Agreement expired on Wednesday, Dec. 1, as it is unclear when the Player’s Union and Major League Baseball will agree on a new one. With no CBA in play, teams are not allowed to adjust their rosters or sign major-league players, but they can sign minor-league players.

The minor-league players on the 40-man roster were all activated, as they cannot participate in minor-league play while on the roster. This includes Forrest Whitley, Enoli Paredes, Jairo Solis, Taylor Jones and Bryan Abreu.

On Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Major League Baseball implemented a lockout moving forward.

Astros’ 40-man roster:

Pitchers (24): Bryan Abreu, Pedro Baez, Jonathan Bermudez, Brandon Bielak, Shawn Dubin, Luis Garcia, Tyler Ivey, Josh James, Cristian Javier, Seth Martinez, Phil Maton, Lance McCullers Jr., Rafael Montero, Hector Neris, Jake Odorizzi, Enoli Paredes, Ryan Pressly, Jairo Solis, Peter Solomon, Ryne Stanek, Blake Taylor, Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez and Forrest Whitley

Catchers (2): Jason Castro and Martin Maldonado

Infielders (7): Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Aledmys Diaz, Yuli Gurriel, Taylor Jones, Jeremy Pena and Joe Perez

Outfielders (5): Michael Brantley, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers, Jose Siri and Kyle Tucker

Designated Hitter (1): Yordan Alvarez