Astros Picks Corey Julks Cesar Salazar MLB Trade Rumors

Astros Picks Corey Julks, César Salazar – MLB Trade Rumors

The Astros briefed reporters on a handful of roster decisions this afternoon (transmitted by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart And Chandler Rome of Houston Chronicle). Especially outfielder / third baseman Corey Julks and Catcher/First Baseman Cesar Salazar form the list for the opening day. None of the players are still on the 40-man squad, so the club must officially select their contracts in the next few days.

Houston will take three catchers as back-ups early in the season Yainer Diaz also breaks camp behind the experienced starter Martin Maldonado. Díaz is already on the 40-man mark after making his MLB debut late last season. catcher Korey Leeoutfield player Bligh Madrisinfielders/outfielders JJ Matijevic and infielders Rylan Bannon were all optional while non-roster invitees Dixon Machado, Justin Dirden, Austin Davis And Ty Buttrey were moved to the lower leagues.

Julks is from Texas and attended the University of Houston. He was selected by his hometown club in the eighth round in 2017 and has played five minor league seasons. The 27-year-old had a strong season with Triple-A Sugar Land last year, hitting .270/.351/.503 with 31 homers and 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts. As a result, Baseball America ranked him No. 27 on the Houston system this offseason, the first time he had ranked among the organization’s top 30 farmhands. The outlet credits him with about average tooling across the board and suggests he could step in immediately as a fourth outfielder. He will earn this opportunity after one .275/.318/.550 appearance in 40 plate appearances this spring.

Salazar, also 27, was selected in the seventh round by the University of Arizona in 2018. The 5’9″ backstop spent most of last season playing Double-A Corpus Christi. He posted a solid .277/.350/.489 line while hitting 16 longballs in 85 games. Salazar only went at a 6.8% clip but kept his strikeouts at a modest 16.5% rate. Though he only has 18 games of Triple-A experience, the Astros are confident he will make the leap to take on the major league guns. He’ll add a left-handed hitter to the bench and give skipper Dusty Baker some flexibility to switch Maldonado out for a pinch hitter as long as Houston carries three catchers.

Diaz is one of the organization’s best offensive contenders. The 24-year-old only competed in six MLB contests last year but combined it for a .306/.356/.542, 25-homer show in the minors. He adds a at-bat first complement to Maldonado behind the bowl and could also see occasional starts at first base or as a designated hitter.

Houston needs to make two spots on the 40-man list. Placement of second baseman Jose Altuve Being on the 60-day injured list feels like an inevitability as he will be out of baseball activity for two months after breaking his thumb. starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. could be another 60-day IL candidate as he’s held back by a forearm strain, although general manager Dana Brown didn’t state that possibility today (about Rome).