The Astros announced a series of roster changes Thursday afternoon, including the designation of infielder for assignment. This frees up a 40-man roster spot for Hector Neris, who signed with Houston two days ago. Right-handers Seth Martinez and Shawn Dubin were optioned to Triple-A, freeing up 26-man roster space for Neris and righty Kaleb Ort, who was reinstated from the paternity list.
Amaya was traded from the Marlins to the Astros in April, and the 25-year-old has only appeared in one game on Houston’s active roster, a defensive substitution appearance in the Astros’ 10-3 loss to the Yankees on May 7. This season in Triple-A, Amaya has a.221/.308/.330 slash line in 302 plate appearances with the Astros’ and Marlins’ top affiliates.
This is a step back from the more reasonable results Amaya has produced in previous Triple-A stays (with the Marlins last season and the Dodgers in 2022). Amaya has always been regarded as a glove-first player since his time in the Los Angeles farm system, and while his defense alone may be good enough to get him considered for a big league roster, he’ll need to deliver more at the plate to earn anything more than sporadic call-ups or playing time.
Finding a place in Houston is especially difficult for Amaya since Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena dominate the middle infield positions, and superutilityman Mauricio Dubon plays many positions. This is the first time Amaya has been designated for assignment, so if he clears waivers and is outrighted to Triple-A, he does not have a prior outright or the MLB service time required to reject the assignment for free agency.
