Houston Astros Add Pitching Depth After Claiming Reliever Off Waivers

The Houston Astros have added another arm to their mix after claiming a reliever with Major League experience off waivers.

Apr 25, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Kaleb Ort (61) throws a ninth inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

After a brutal start to the season that was shocking to many around Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros have begun to find themselves.

A hot stretch of play put them back into the AL West mix, and even though they have cooled off a bit to go 5-5 over their last 10 games, they still sit just 4.5 back of first place and 5.5 out of a Wild Card spot.

The Astros have championship mettle and a roster full of veterans and stars. They have the capability of turning things around if they play to their potential.

In order to do so, they'll need their pitching staff to get back to the dominant unit they've been during their dynastic run.

Houston has the 26th-worst ERA in the league with a 4.44 entering Tuesday. Much of that is due to the huge number of injuries they dealt with early on, but it's also in part because their bullpen has not been as advertised coming into the year.

However, after a concerning start from Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly, and Bryan Abreu, things have started to stabilize a bit on the backend as the relievers hold a total ERA of 3.70.

Knowing the issues that this pitching staff has had so far, the Astros decided to add some depth to their organization after claiming Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports they have optioned him to their Triple-A affiliate.

Ort is a right-hander who has past Major League experience, appearing in 47 total games over the last three seasons. His ERA is 6.27, meaning he likely isn't going to be called upon barring injuries or poor performances from others already on the roster, but he does give them another option when needed.

Hopefully he can turn his year around within Houston's organization as he's struggled with the Orioles' affiliate, giving up 17 earned runs over 12 2/3 innings pitched.