The Astros announced a series of moves before tonight’s game. They signed a first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. on a major league contract, designated hitter Collin Price on the major league roster and a repatriated outfielder Joey Loperfido on the 10-day injured list. Loperfido optioned to Triple-A. In the corresponding movements, outfielder Zach Cole optioned to Triple-A while a catcher César Salazar and foreign player Rhylan Thomas they were selected for the assignment. Wade’s signing was reported earlier today.
Salazar, 30, has been a catcher for the Astros for years. His defense is well looked after but he doesn’t hit much, with a career .189/.295/.216 line. He blew his final year in 2025, which led to his delisting in March of this year. He cleared waivers and stuck as an undrafted depth option.
He was reinstated to the roster in early May Yainer Diaz faced oblique strain. Salazar again Christian Vázquez they were two hitters last month but Salazar hit .056/.227/.056 in that span.
Salazar will lose to Price, a sixth-round pick in 2022. Price reached Triple-A last year and showed promise. He hit 18 home runs and drew walks at a solid 10% clip, but also struck out 30.3% of his plate appearances. He has been better this year, with ten home runs, a 13.5% walk rate and a 25.5% strikeout rate. Even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League, his .235/.360/.476 line translates to a 118 wRC+, which is 18% better than the league average. Defensively, Baseball Prospectus ranks him as a strong independent but a subpar blocker.
Since this is Price’s first major league call, he has options galore. Whenever Diaz is able to return to IL, Price can easily be sent to the minors. Vázquez is an upcoming free agent, so perhaps Price could be in line for more playing time next year if he continues to put up good numbers here in 2026.
More to come.
