Two options to fill Houston Astros' last 40-man roster spot

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With a 40-man roster spot open, will the Astros select the contract of a Triple-A hand or will they wait on a 60-day IL player?

Signed for two years, $12.5 million, Pedro Báez totaled 6.2 major-league innings in a Houston Astros‘ uniform, until his designation for assignment Tuesday. The right-hander will likely clear waivers and be released, although the Astros would still have to fork-up the remainder of his contract this season.

As a corresponding move, right-handed reliever Seth Martinez was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to fill out the 28-man roster. With Báez off the 40-man roster, the Astros sit at 39 players with Lance McCullers Jr. and Taylor Jones on the 60-day injured list.

The two aren’t eligible to return until early June, leaving the Astros room to add another pitcher with minor-league options. Many have called for Hunter Brown to be added to the roster, given recent struggles within the rotation, but following a quality start from Jake Odorizzi, the Astros may wait to add Brown.

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With Hunter Brown and J.P. France excelling in Sugar Land, will the Astros give either a major-league opportunity?

Houston currently has two left-handed relief options — Blake Taylor and Parker Mushinski — on the 40-man, utilizing the opportunity for matchups. In Triple-A, spring training signees in Zac Rosscup and Adam Morgan await their fate, as Mushinski was selected before both.

Rosscup nor Morgan have minor-league options left, leaving their mistakes in the majors more costly than that of Mushinski and Taylor. Taylor hasn’t been optioned the last two seasons, and while both he and Mushinski display efficient outings in respective leverage, Rosscup and Morgan are more likely to remain Space Cowboys.

With an abundance of starters in Triple-A, the Astros next callup could be France, if the club chooses to wait on Brown. France has worked 12.2 innings across four outings (three starts) this spring, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits and 10 walks.

Walks are an issue early on, but the righty’s strikeouts continue to turn heads, punching out 20 so far this season. With a four-inning relief outing under belt, France continues to build a case to be a big-league contributor by season’s end.

The alternative to selecting a Triple-A contract.

If the club avoids the addition of a starter like Brown or France, they could explore the trade block for depth or wait out on a 60-day player. Timetables on returns for McCullers and Jones haven’t been reported, leaving the chance of an addition more likely.

While both players are eligible to return in over a month, short evaluations may behoove the franchise. Nonetheless, a club is never hurt by too-much rotational depth, which the Astros lacked during the 2021 campaign.

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Following a 5-1 win Tuesday, the Astros return to play at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday. Cristian Javier is scheduled to start against righty Glen Otto.

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Two options to fill Astros’ last 40-man roster spot

With a 40-man roster spot open, will the Astros select the contract of a Triple-A hand or will they wait on a 60-day IL player?

With Hunter Brown and J.P. France excelling in Sugar Land, will the Astros give either a major-league opportunity?

The alternative to selecting a Triple-A contract.

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