Minor League Baseball

Houston Astros, Former Colorado Rockies 2B Brendan Rodgers Agree to Minor League Deal

Gold Glove second baseman Brendan Rodgers has earned an invitation to the Houston Astros' spring training camp after getting dumped by the Colorado Rockies.

Sam Connon

San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies infielder Brendan Rodgers (7) runs to field a ground ball against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Oracle Park.
San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies infielder Brendan Rodgers (7) runs to field a ground ball against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros and free agent second baseman Brendan Rodgers have agreed to a one-year minor league contract, KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander reported Tuesday night.

Rodgers picked up an invitation to the Astros' big league training camp in West Palm Beach, Florida, as part of the deal. The contract is still pending a physical, though.

Had he not been non-tendered by the Colorado Rockies in November, Rodgers would have been arbitration-eligible this winter rather than a free agent. MLB Trade Rumors projected him to make $5.5 million in 2025, while Spotrac had him slotted to make $6.8 million.

Instead, Rodgers will be fighting for a payday and a spot on the Astros' Opening Day roster over the next five weeks of preseason camp.

Rodgers hit .267 with 13 home runs, 29 doubles, 54 RBI, a .721 OPS and a 1.0 WAR across 135 games in 2024. That was a return to form of sorts for the 28-year-old, considering shoulder surgery had limited him to 46 games and a 0.1 WAR in 2023.

Between 2021 and 2022, Rodgers hit .274 with a .761 OPS, averaging 14 home runs, 26 doubles, 57 RBI, nine defensive runs saved and a 2.9 WAR each year. He won a Gold Glove in 2022, leading the NL second basemen in putouts, assists, double plays forced and Total Zone.

The No. 3 overall pick from the 2015 MLB Draft was once ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect in baseball.

Houston has had Jose Altuve locked in at second base for over a decade at this point, but the future Hall of Famer has taking reps in left field at spring training. The belief was that Mauricio Dubón would be Altuve's replacement at second – if he were to make the move, that is – but perhaps the Astros want to keep him flexibile as a do-it-all utility man.

There are a lot of moving parts on the Astros' roster with the regular season a month out, and now another has been added to the mix in Rodgers.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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