Astros Claim Nelson Velázquez, Designate Shay Whitcomb For Assignment
The Astros announced they have claimed outfielder Nelson Velázquez off waivers from the Cardinals. St. Louis had designated him for assignment a few days ago. Infielder/outfielder Shay Whitcomb has been designated for assignment by Houston as the corresponding move.
Velázquez, 27, started the season with the Cardinals on a minor league deal. He was called up in late May and spent a little over two months on the roster. He got squeezed off when the Cards claimed Everson Pereira recently.
In his time on the roster, Velázquez struck out at a 30.1% clip but also hit four home runs, leading to a.216/.289/.432 slash line. Velázquez is considered a poor defender, so he really needs to hit to provide value. His offense this year led to a 98 wRC+, indicating he was 2% below league average. That’s not disastrous in a vacuum but less than ideal for a bat-first guy. Since he’s out of options, he got nudged to the waiver wire.
The Astros are presumably interested because Velázquez hits from the right side. It was reported a few days ago that Houston was looking for a righty complement to the lefty bats in their outfield, with Daulton Varsho, Taylor Trammell and LaMonte Wade Jr. all hitting from the left side.
Against southpaws this year, Velázquez has a.200/.286/.473 line. That doesn’t look too impressive at first blush but it’s held down by a.212 batting average on balls in play. All four of this year’s homers have come against lefties. He has still struck out at a high 30.2% pace in the split but has also drawn walks 9.5% of the time.
After the trade deadline, Houston’s choices are limited. They were connected to Rob Refsnyder and Austin Hays in the reporting about their search for a righty, but Hays has since signed with the Padres. Refsnyder is still out there but the Astros will take a shot on Velázquez for now.
Picking up Velázquez will cost Whitcomb his roster spot. A fifth-round pick of the Astros in 2020, Whitcomb has been on the roster for almost two years now, as he was first called up August 16 of 2024. He got that promotion after putting up a huge.293/.378/.530 line in Triple-A that year.
His production hasn’t been as impressive since. He has only been allowed to make 102 plate appearances in the big leagues with a.167/.216/.292 line. His offense has also tailed off in Triple-A. He hit 25 home runs in 2024 and 2025 but is only at nine so far this year. His 8.4% walk rate is also a notable drop, as he was at 11.1% over 2024 and 2025. This year’s.274/.338/.420 line and 97 wRC+ aren’t disastrous figures but he’s getting help from a.357 BABIP and still coming out below par.
His down season has nudged him off the roster. Since the trade deadline has passed, he’ll be on waivers in the near future. Despite his numbers this year, he should garner interest. He’s generally good for 20 to 30 steals per year in the minors, with 23 so far this season. He has enough defensive versatility to play anywhere on the diamond outside of the battery. He is still optionable for the rest of this year and one additional season. Some other club should give him a roster spot and keep him at Triple-A while seeing if the offense turns around.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images