Houston Astros Sign Intriguing Veteran Catcher to Minor League Deal
Entering Wednesday's game, the Houston Astros are finally starting to look like the team everyone expected to be contending for a World Series title this season.
Winners of six in a row, they have put themselves in striking distance of the playoffs and AL West lead, something that seemed unlikely just a couple weeks ago.
As the Astros take on the Colorado Rockies for their final contest in this two-game slate, they're hoping to keep the momentum rolling before heading out to the East Coast to start an extended road trip.
Houston decided to bring in another veteran option for themselves by signing veteran catcher Omar Narvaez to a minor league deal as reported by Ari Alexander of KPRC 2.
This is interesting on a couple fronts.
The Astros added Victor Caratini this offseason to be their backup catcher behind emerging young star Yainer Diaz. With the veteran backstop hitting the injured list with what has been described as a left hip flexor strain, that took a major contributor out of the mix.
Maybe Caratini is going to miss more time than expected, prompting them to bring in someone like Narvaez.
He most recently was with the New York Mets before getting released on June 5. He doesn't provide much offensively at this point in his career having slashed .192/.254/.259 during his last 77 games the past two years, however, he does provide solid defense, posting a career defensive bWAR of 1.1 and 0.0 during his limited time with the Mets.
Whether or not Narvaez will actually get called up by Houston will be seen.
They already have Cesar Salazar on the roster, but this move at least gives them another option in case Salazar also goes down, isn't a viable player at this level, and Caratini misses more time than expected.
BRAD WAKAI
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai