Houston Astros Make Roster Move, Swap Pitchers

The Houston Astros made a roster move on Tuesday to change up the pitching staff.

Jul 23, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Seth Martinez (61) pitches during the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, the Houston Astros announced a roster move prior to the game. Right handed pitcher Shawn Dubin was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land, while right handed pitcher Seth Martinez was sent down.

Martinez, a reliever, had been something of a work horse for Houston at the beginning of the season. Through July, he had 41 appearances and in his 49.1 innings of work, had struck out 34 batters with a 2.92 ERA. He was optioned on July 31, and since then has only made three appearances in the Big Leagues.

He was briefly called back up in August and made one apperance while allowing a run before being sent back down to Triple-A.

A month later, he received the call again, but struggled, allowing four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings of work. His final two appearances before being optioned hurt his year long numbers, bumping his ERA from 3.04 to 3.59.

Despite his late struggles, he was a reliable reliever for much of the season and could see time in the postseason for bullpen depth.

On the other hand, Shawn Dubin is the one who will now be joining the Astros bullpen.

Dubin, like Martinez, has been up and down for much of the season. This will be his third time back with the team.

He has pitched in 29 games, including two starts, and over 43.1 innings of work has posted a 4.15 ERA and 9.3 K/9 while also saving a game.

In his latest stint with Sugar Land, he threw five innings of relief, while allowing four earned runs, walking four and striking out nine.

This isn't any sort of major shakeup for Houston, however. Although Martinez had struggled in his last two outings, he pitched twice in two days. More likely than not, this is a matter of getting a fresh arm in the bullpen as the team prepares to clinch the AL West and earn a playoff spot.

After a disappointing start to the season, the Astros have soared their way back into being four games ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the division lead. Should they beat the Mariners on Tuesday, they will have won their fourth straight division title.

Pitching has been a bit of a hiccup for Houston this year, dealing with injury to multiple starters and struggles from young players. The move to swap Martinez for Dubin is playing it safe and getting fresh arms for the postseason.