Seven Houston Astros Farmhands Join Club for Workouts Ahead of ALDS

The Houston Astros have added seven players from their Triple-A affiliate ahead of the postseason roster crunch.

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros added seven players from Triple-A Sugar Land to the group working out at Minute Maid Park ahead of the American League Division Series.

Of those additional players to the 28-man rostered from September and October play, four are pitchers: Brandon Bielak, Seth Martinez, Blake Taylor and Parker Mushinski.

Taylor and Mushinski would not likely take the lefty roster spot over Will Smith, meaning they could fill into the taxi squad, once constructed.

Bielak offers another long relief option in the coming week to evaluate, but based on limited usage and a loaded staff, the righty will most certainly be a taxi squad member.

And of those four with the best chance of making the roster, Martinez is at the top. The wildcard reliever appeared in 29 games for the Astros this season, posting a 2.09 ERA and an 8.8 K/9.

But what sets Martinez apart is his success against right-handed hitters. Martinez has held righties to a .135/.214/.180 slash line which would come as an advantage if the Toronto Blue Jays win Games 2 and 3 against the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners can deploy a collection of lefties, but the Blue Jays are defined by a slew of righty sluggers. And in one appearance against Toronto this season, the righty issued one walk and strikeout one batter after being called up a couple days prior.

The Mariners blanked the Blue Jays on Friday, but if Toronto claws back, Martinez is even more poised to make the ALDS roster.

Three extra position players will be with the team this week: Yainer Díaz, Korey Lee and J.J. Matijevic. All three have played for the Astros this season, but in regards to Lee, the catcher ended his Triple-A season with an undisclosed injury. Albeit, these three players are proving their respective value for the taxi squad this week.

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