9 most surprising former Astros players in the 2025 postseason

The 2025 MLB playoffs are about to begin, and unfortunately, for the first time in many years, the Houston Astros are not playing a direct part. The Astros only have themselves to blame, including when it comes to their rampant injury issues, and now Houston fans are having to suffer through it. However, just because the Astros did not make the postseason doesn't mean their influence won't be felt.

With all of the Astros' previous success has come players who have moved on for one reason or another. Some simply weren't good enough for Houston to commit to them long-term, others were parts of trades, and then there were those that the Astros simply did not want to pay real money. All of those types of former players are taking part in the playoffs this season.

Here are the former Astros players that fans may not have realized are in the playoffs

The goal isn't to identify every player or coach that has any connection to the Astros (although Tigers manager AJ Hinch does deserve a mention here if we were being less picky). We aren't combing through every playoff team's 40-man roster and farm system. Instead, this is just a healthy sample of former Astros players that are either prominent names that may have been forgotten or less prominent ones that fans almost certainly have forgotten played in the organization if they ever knew at all.

George Springer - Blue Jays

It isn't surprising the Springer is playing in the postseason per se, but it is a bit of an upset that he is still with the Blue Jays right now as as many considered him to be a prime trade deadline candidate. However, Springer has turned back the clock with Toronto this year, and if the Blue Jays make a real run this year, Springer is probably going to be right in the middle of it.

Joey Loperfido - Blue Jays

Remember last year when Astros fans were clamoring for Houston to give Joey Loperfido a real opportunity in the big leagues, and it just never really happened. It was a different time. Eventually, the Astros decided to package Loperfido with some other young players who may or may not appear elsewhere on this list later on in order to trade for Yusei Kikuchi last season. Loperfido has had limited playing time for Toronto this year, but he was good when he did play, and he could factor into their postseason roster plans.

Myles Straw - Blue Jays

The last Blue Jay on this list is Myles Straw, who the Astros drafted in 2015 and who played 3.5 seasons from 2018-2021 before he was traded to Cleveland for Phil Maton and Yainer Diaz. That trade has aged very well for Houston, while Straw has forged a role as a support player who is solid defensively. Glad he gets a chance to make a postseason run, but that isn't a trade the Astros would take back basically ever.

Jose Urquidy - Tigers

Injury issues forced the Astros' hand with Jose Urquidy, and the organization decided to part ways with him. After a lengthy IL stint this season, Urquidy returned for Detroit late in the season only to get optioned back to the minors immediately afterwards. The Tigers are keeping him around as pitching depth, and unfortunately, that may be the best he can hope for this postseason.

Rafael Montero - Tigers

Astros fans certainly don't miss Rafael Montero, who got handed a ridiculous contract only to flame out of Houston's bullpen in a couple of years. After getting traded to the Braves, Atlanta eventually figured out that Montero wasn't worth the roster spot, and they shipped him to the Tigers. If you want a prime culprit to collapse in Detroit's very suspect bullpen, Montero is a name to circle.

Jake Rogers - Tigers

Jake Rogers made his MLB debut with the Tigers back in 2019 and has played for them ever since. However, the veteran catcher got his start in professional baseball with the Astros, who drafted him in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Rogers was eventually sent to the Tigers in the first Justin Verlander trade, and while he still cannot hit, he does have some power and is one of the more respected defensive catchers in baseball.

Wade Miley - Reds

This one is cheating a little bit because he is hurt and won't participate in the playoffs, but consider this your reminder that Wade Miley did, in fact, play for the Astros in 2019. Miley gave the Astros 33 perfectly reasonable starts with a 3.98 ERA before moving on to the NL Central, where he has bounced around ever since.

Caleb Ferguson - Mariners

Caleb Ferguson's time in Houston was short, as he was only a trade deadline acquisition last season who hit free agency immediately afterwards. Ferguson pitched pretty well for the Astros, and after a decent run with the Pirates to start the season, Ferguson has since landed with the Mariners and, well, you know what happened after that. Just like that, Ferguson gets another taste of the postseason.

Will Wagner - Padres

Remember that Kikuchi trade? Well, that line of influence has extended to Will Wagner with the Padres. San Diego nabbed Wagner from Toronto in what appeared to be a minor trade at the time. Wagner is still very talented, but his time with both the Blue Jays and Padres was not ideal, and he will face questions about his hit tool until he proves otherwise.