Houston Astros acquire Trey Mancini in three-team trade deal
The Houston Astros have acquired 1B/DH Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles and minor league RHP Jayden Murray from the Tampa Bay Rays in part of a three-team trade. To complete their portion of the deal, the Astros sent OF Jose Siri to the Rays and minor league RHP Chayce McDermott to the Orioles. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager James Click.
Astros player Jason Castro removed from World Series roster due to COVID-19 protocols
KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy just received breaking news in Atlanta that Astros player Jason Castro has been removed from the World Series roster due to COVID-19 protocols. This development comes just over an hour before first pitch.
They werenโt considered a World Series team: How the Houston Astros proved so many wrong
Three weeks ago, eleven Major League Baseball pundits made predictions for the postseason. Five said the Astros would fall in the American League Division Series. Five others said the teamโs last stop would be in the AL Championship Series. Only one predicted the Astros would make it to the World Series.
Astros minus 8 pitchers because of coronavirus protocols
It was not known whether the eight pitchers had tested positive for the virus or had come in close contact with someone who had tested positive. Earlier this week, the Astros lost starter Framber Valdez when he suffered a broken left finger while fielding a ball in an exhibition game. They list 23 pitchers on their 40-man roster, plus 16 more nonroster pitchers in camp. Nineteen big league players and six staff have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of spring training, a positive rate of 0.07% among 34,541 tests. All players on 40-man rosters and players with minor league contracts invited to big league training camp are screened.
Houston Astros, Carlos Correa avoid arbitration, settle on 1-year contract
The Astros have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, GM James Click announced Saturday. Correa had been the only remaining, unsigned arbitration-eligible player on the Astros roster. Correa helped lead the Astros to an 8-5 record in the postseason, falling just one win shy of a return to the World Series. AdThe now 26-year-old Correa also had his best season defensively in 2020, leading all ML shortstops in fielding pct. Correa and the Astros are set to open Spring Training later this month in West Palm Beach.
Astros tender contract offers to 3 players
HOUSTON โ The Houston Astros have tendered contracts to three arbitration-eligible players: shortstop Carlos Correa, infielder Aledmys Dรญaz, and right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Additionally, the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Austin Pruitt. The deadline for Major League Baseball clubs to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players was 7 p.m. Wednesday. Selected by the Astros with the first-overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, Correa is entering his seventh Major League season with the Astros in 2021. He then made three starts for the Astros during the 2020 postseason, starting Game 1 of the ALDS at OAK, and Games 2 and 7 of the ALCS at TB. Pruitt, 31, was acquired by the Astros from Tampa Bay on Jan. 9, in exchange for two prospects, right-handed pitcher Peyton Battenfield and outfielder Cal Stevenson.
Astros make qualifying offer to several free agents, including George Springer
HOUSTON โ The baseball offseason is off and running and Sunday the Astros announced their decisions regarding qualifying offers for their free agents. Astros General Manager James Click announced in a statement that they declined the $18.9 set qualifying offer for Josh Reddick, Michael Brantley and Brad Peacock. The Astros did, as expected, make an official offer for outfielder George Springer. Springer is one of the most sought after free agents this winter. The Astros believe they will still make their best run at keeping Springer in Houston, where he has been since 2014 on the big league level.
Astros pitcher Josh James has hip surgery; out 6 to 8 months
HOUSTON โ Astros pitcher Josh James underwent hip surgery and will need six to eight months to recover. Houston general manager James Click said Saturday that James had a labral tear of his left hip repaired Friday. James initially injured his hip Aug. 20 in a game at Colorado and went on the injured list. When the right-hander returned, he had a 1.35 ERA over 6 2-3 innings in his final six appearances of the regular season. For the regular season, James was 1-0 with a 7.27 ERA in 13 appearances (two starts) with 21 strikeouts.
Xfinity Sports Desk: 3 things to watch in Houston sports this week
HOUSTON โ Greetings from the Xfinity Sports Desk and KPRC Channel 2 Sports. Here is whatโs happening on the sports scene across Houston this week and the days ahead. Top candidates include Jeff Van Gundy who coached the Rockets from 2003 through the 2007 season along with John Lucas. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALLThe regular season is flying by after getting off to a late start. Thatโs it from the Xfinity Sports Desk and KPRC Channel 2 Sports!
3 things to know about the Tampa Bay Rays, the Astros' ALCS opponent
HOUSTON โ The Houston Astros will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the playoffs for the second year in a row, but this time in reversed roles. No big names of offenseDespite the headline, the Rays hit better than the Astros in the regular season (109 OPS+ to 96 OPS+). The Rays had a 2019 All-Star in Austin Meadows, but Meadows hit just .205 in 2020 with an 86 OPS+. He helped put together a team that almost took down a 107-win Houston Astros team in the ALDS. โOn a scale of 0 to weird, (itโs) pretty weird,โ Click said, as he planned on beating his former team.
Houston Astros coaches contracts extended
HOUSTON Dusty Baker isnt going anywhere. The Houston Astros announced Tuesday that it has exercised the 2021 contract option for Baker. Were excited to see him in an Astros uniform again next year.The Astros did the same for pitching coach Brent Strom and third base coach Gary Pettis. Strommie and Gary have had a tremendous impact on the recent success of the Houston Astros, Click said. Pettis has been with Houston since 2014, where the outfield has combined to post the highest fielding pct.
Astros planning to be without reliever Joe Smith this season
HOUSTON Manager Dusty Baker doesnt expect reliever Joe Smith to play for the Houston Astros this season. Smith has not reported to camp because of what general manager James Click called concerns for the safety of his family. Smith was placed on the restricted list Tuesday night, but he has not said publicly if he is opting out of the season, which starts for the Astros on July 24. The 36-year-old Smith has spent the last two seasons with the Astros and signed a two-year, $8 million contract to stay with the team this off-season. He missed part of last season recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, but returned to appear in 28 games with a 1.80 ERA.
Astros cancel Saturday workout over COVID-19 concerns
The Houston Astros cancelled workouts at Minute Maid Park Saturday, General Manager James Click announced in a statement, citing concerns that a staff member was potentially exposed to someone outside the organization who contracted COVID-19. Click said the move was a precautionary measure. As part of MLBs testing and reporting plan, we were alerted that a staff member was potentially exposed to a COVID-positive individual outside the organization, Click said in a statement. Out of an abundance of caution, we have cancelled todays workout. We are working closely with MLB and our team physicians to follow the established testing and cleaning protocols so that we can safely bring our players and staff back to the field as soon as possible.Earlier in the week, the Astros canceled Mondays workout at Minute Maid Park after they failed to receive the teams COVID-19 test results.
Astros cancel Monday workout as team awaits COVID-19 test results
The Houston Astros have canceled its Monday workouts at Minute Maid Park and the University of Houston due to delayed COVID-19 test results, the team said Monday. The safety of our players and staff remains our top priority at the Astros, General Manager James Click said. The team is still awaiting results from COVID-19 tests taken on Friday. So far, the MLB reports 31 players and several staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 among 19 teams. [RELATED: 31 MLB players, 7 staff test positive for COVID-19]Players and staff continue to participate fully in the screening and testing protocols while we await these results, Click is quoted as saying in a news release.
Houston Astros player tests positive for COVID-19, team announces
HOUSTON A Houston Astros player has tested positive for COVID-19 at the Astros complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, Channel 2 Sports confirmed Friday. That player experienced minor symptoms and is recovering well the team said. The Astros informed Major League Baseball and implemented all health and safety protocols. The safety of our staff and players remains our top priority, General Manager James Click said. We were fortunate to be able to take swift action once we learned of the player testing positive and we are pleased that there were no other players that tested positive.So far, no player working out in the Houston area has tested positive.
Astros commit to paying minor league players through the summer while other MLB teams make cuts
HOUSTON Minor league players in the Astros farm system will be paid at least through August 31, officials said Friday. With the uncertainty that our minor league players are facing currently, this decision provides our players with the assurance that they will receive a paycheck through August, said Astros owner Jim Crane. We believe that this is the right thing to do.Having a farm system of talented minor league players is a key aspect of the success of the Astros franchise, said Astros General Manager James Click. We hope that continuing the stipend for our players will provide them support in these challenging times.However, many other MLB teams announced this week that they were cutting minor league players amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So did the Chicago Cubs, who announced they were cutting 30 minor league players, according to NBC Sports Chicago.