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Astros sign former Giants standout in surprise move to fill persistent roster void

Eric Cole
Eric Cole

Climbing Tal's Hill

Mar 19, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox designated hitter LaMonte Wade Jr against the San Diego Padres during a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

For the longest time, the Houston Astros have tried to balance their lineup more. While having Yordan Alvarez back and causing terror from the left side of the plate has been great, there does seem to be a deficit of lefty hitters. Trading for Jesus Sanchez last year didn't do anything and while Joey Loperfido's return helped, he is currently hurt and anything but a sure thing. As it is turns out, the Astros' search did not stop despite this being a somewhat dead part of the baseball calendar.

While trades are difficult to pull off at the beginning of June when every team is still technically a contender (other than the Tigers and Rockies), this IS the period of time when veteran minor leaguers can start opting out of their minor league deals in search of big league opportunities.

Well, it sounds like the Astros are taking advantage of one such opportunity. On Thursday, The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported that Houston was signing LaMonte Wade Jr. to a major league deal.

Astros sign LaMonte Wade Jr. to big league deal after he opts out of deal with White Sox

Like many fringe veterans, Wade Jr. was on a minor league deal with the White Sox before he was granted his release last week. Clearly Wade Jr. thought that his production this season (.861 OPS at Triple-A in 201 plate appearances with seven homers) was good enough to warrant a big league chance and he was right, as it turns out.

How exactly the Astros employ Wade Jr.'s services is going to be interesting. On the surface, Wade Jr.'s profile as a first base/corner outfielder/DH is not one that Houston is lacking on their roster with Alvarez, Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes, and others. However, it will be nice to have a left-handed bat with some upside, even if he is riding the bench.

One probably shouldn't draw too many conclusions about this move. The Astros have been consistent in searching for left-handed bats that they think can help them. Wade Jr. may not win a batting title or hit 40 homers, but he has shown that he can still hit a bit. For now, that is enough.

**UPDATE**

Not only have the Astros made the Wade signing official, but it came with a decent bit of roster shuffling. Joey Loperfido has been activated from the injured and the Astros called up catcher Collin Price. To make room for all of the additions, Zach Cole was optioned back to the minors and both Cesar Salazar and Rhylan Thomas were designated for assignment.

Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.