Astros

Jason Castro (Astros)

2/3/12 4:20 pm

Jason Castro (foot surgery) has been cleared to start jogging and increasing the intensity of his workouts.

Castro had surgery in early-December to remove the sesamoid bone from his left foot after injuring it while playing in the Arizona Fall League. While the 24-year-old backstop considers himself ahead of schedule and hopes to be ready for the start of the Astros’ Grapefruit League schedule, he has no plans to push himself too soon. “I’m not going to rush anything when I first get to camp just so that I’m ready to play when games start and kind of make sure I’m strong enough and my foot is ready for game-speed-type stuff,” said Castro, who missed all of last season with a torn meniscus and ACL in his right knee. “We’ll take it as it comes, and when I get to camp, feel it out and see what I’m ready for and progress from there.” The Astros have Chris Snyder and Humbero Quintero as in-house insurance policies if Castro suffers any setbacks.

Source: mlb.com

Tagged as: Astros, Jason Castro, news

Mike Hessman (Astros)

2/2/12 2:21 pm

Astros signed INF Mike Hessman to a minor league contract.

The deal does not include an invite to big-league camp. Hessman spent last season with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Pacific League. The 33-year-old has regularly mashed minor league pitching, but has a lousy .188/.272/.422 batting line over 250 plate appearances in the majors. He’ll serve as organizational depth this season.

Source: chron.com

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Angel Sanchez (Astros)

2/1/12 3:08 pm

Angels sent INF Angel Sanchez outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Sanchez successfully cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. The 28-year-old shortstop batted just .240/.305/.285 with one home run and 28 RBI in 110 games last season at the major league level. He will be in Astros’ camp as a non-roster player.

Tagged as: Angel Sanchez, Astros, news

Livan Hernandez (Astros)

1/31/12 5:24 pm

Astros signed RHP Livan Hernandez to a minor league contract.

The deal includes a spring training invite. We barely heard a peep about Hernandez this offseason, but he is certainly capable of providing rotation depth. The 36-year-old right-hander posted a 4.47 ERA and 99/46 K/BB ratio over 175 1/3 innings last season for the Nationals. He has logged at least 175 innings in each season since 1998.

Source: twitter.com

Tagged as: Astros, Livan Hernandez, news

Zach Duke (Astros)

1/27/12 2:23 pm

Astros signed LHP Zach Duke to a minor league contract.

The deal also includes an invite to spring training. Duke spent time on the disabled list and didn’t perform for Arizona this past season, posting a 4.93 ERA and 32/19 K/BB ratio over 76 2/3 innings. He’ll compete for a rotation spot in spring training but will probably only have a real shot if Wandy Rodriguez and/or Brett Myers are traded.

Tagged as: Astros, news, Zach Duke

Chris Snyder (Astros)

1/24/12 8:27 pm

According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Chris Snyder’s new contract with the Astros carries a $750,000 salary for 2012 and a $4 million mutual option for 2013 or a $500,000 buyout.

Only $350,000 of his salary for 2012 is guaranteed. The contract includes bonuses for plate appearances and days spent on the active roster. Snyder, who turns 31 next month, was limited to just 34 games in 2011 due to a nagging back condition which required surgery, but still has some pop in his bat. Jason Castro is expected to be ready for the start of the season following foot surgery, but Snyder could be asked to carry a heavier load in the early going.

Source: twitter.com

Tagged as: Astros, Chris Snyder, news

Angel Sanchez (Astros)

1/24/12 3:19 pm

Astros designated INF Angel Sanchez for assignment.

The 28-year-old shortstop batted just .240/.305/.285 with one home runs and 28 RBI in 110 games last season at the major league level. With the Astros adding Jed Lowrie over the offseason, Sanchez was unlikely to see as much playing time in 2012.

Source: twitter.com

Tagged as: Angel Sanchez, Astros, news

Wandy Rodriguez (Astros)

1/22/12 2:30 pm

Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that the Red Sox “have kept tabs” on the trade market for Wandy Rodriguez.

Morosi notes that the Sox would rather sign a free agent, but they aren’t ruling out a trade to bolster their rotation. The Astros would love to remove Rodriguez’s salary from their payroll, but interest in him this offseason has seemed pretty tepid. If he’s not dealt this offseason, he’s a good bet to be moved sometime prior to the July trade deadline.

Source: twitter.com

Tagged as: Astros, news, Wandy Rodriguez

Henry Villar (Astros)

1/22/12 9:37 am

Astros sent RHP Henry Villar outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Villar was designated for assignment earlier this month but has cleared waivers and will remain in the organization. The 24-year-old registered a 5.45 ERA and 48/29 K/BB ratio last year in 76 minor league innings.

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Carlos Lee (Astros)

1/22/12 9:03 am

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that Carlos Lee “has not been receptive to waiving his no-trade clauses.”

The Astros would love to unload some of Lee’s salary, but as a 10-5 player, he would have to approve any deal. So far it doesn’t appear that Houston has had any substantive trade talks with anyone regarding the 35-year-old even though they’re reportedly willing to eat half or maybe more of his $18.5 million salary. The Tigers could potentially be a fit.

Source: boston.com

Tagged as: Astros, Carlos Lee, news

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