The Astros select a catcher César Salazar return to the big league roster, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Striker Shay Whitcomb was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land in the corresponding move. Houston opened up a spot on the 40-man roster this afternoon when they selected an outfielder Daniel Johnson by share.
Salazar’s promotion is fueled by what appear to be minor injuries when he first catches Yainer Diaz. He is out of tonight’s lineup with a left stomach problem. The Astros haven’t listed him on the injured list but it appears they want to stay away from him tonight. Christian Vázquez pulls into the lineup against the Dodgers again Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Salazar offers some insurance as a placeholder.
Unless Diaz ends up needing to stay on the injured list, it will probably be a short time on the roster for Salazar. He came out of the minor leagues and was assigned at the end of spring training when Houston selected Vázquez as their backup catcher. They certainly don’t regret that decision, as the veteran is off to a .333/.390/.519 start in his age-35 season.
Salazar appeared in 36 MLB games as Houston’s third baseman between 2023-25. He is hitting .193/.333/.281 with one home run over 19 games with Sugar Land this season. The 30-year-old has a strong reputation with his glove and works with pitching staff but could be a big threat.
