The Houston Astros have announced Friday that they have signed veteran utility-man Marwin Gonzalez to a Minor League deal according to Bob Nightengale. Gonzalez was a free agent after being released by the Boston Red Sox earlier in the season. The versatile 32-year old was a critical part of the Astros’ 2017 World Series winning group.
Gonzalez spent his first seven years with the Astros organization. He had a number of big moments in a Houston uniform, but none bigger than in Game two of the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers closer, Kenley Jansen. Leading off the top of the ninth, Gonzalez blasted a ball to left center to tie the game at three runs apiece.
Gonzalez has not had the same success in 2021, however. In 77 games before being released by Boston, he was slashing .202/.281/.285 with just a pair of home runs. Overall in his ten seasons at the Major League level, he has a .256/.314/.403 slashline with 98 homers and 389 RBI. The utility-man has played over 1,000 innings at five different positions on the field.
Gonzalez will begin working out at the Astros Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. It remains to be seen whether he will make it to the big league roster as the season winds down.
Other Astros News
Houston had great news on the injury front on Wednesday as Alex Bregman made his long awaited return from the Injured List. After a layoff that lasted more than two months, Bregman made an instant impact, collecting two hits including a RBI double.
After just four appearances, Pedro Baez is back on the IL. Baez didn’t make his season debut until August 10 due to a variety of issues, and now he is back on the shelf.
The Astros will be getting another important piece back, this time on the pitching front. Jose Urquidy is currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Suger Land. If everything goes well, Urquidy can return sometime around the first week of September.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Marwin Gonzalez, Kenley Jansen, Alex Bregman, Pedro Baez, Jose Urquidy
