The Astros have signed catcher Joe Hudson to a minor league deal, in response to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land for now however will presumably obtain an invitation to large league spring coaching.
Hudson, 34 in Could, was briefly within the majors in 2024. He had began the yr with the Cubs on a minor league deal however was traded to the Mets in April. The latter membership chosen him to their roster for about three weeks in June, although Hudson solely acquired into one large league recreation in that point and didn’t get a plate look. On June 21, the Mets had been main the Cubs 11-1 and had Hudson catch the underside of the ninth, changing Francisco Alvarez. He was later outrighted off the roster and elected free company at season’s finish.
That technically added to Hudson’s large league résumé, getting him as much as 19 video games performed over 4 completely different seasons. He has a .167/.219/.200 batting line in his 33 plate appearances on the main league degree.
He’s typically been a serviceable depth piece at Triple-A. He’s performed 198 video games at that degree over the previous 4 years, stepping to the plate 740 instances. He was punched out in 29.1% of these appearances but in addition managed to attract a stroll 14.5% of the time. That allowed him to supply a mixed .215/.338/.389 line and 92 wRC+. Baseball Prospectus has typically given him good grades for his framing, blocking and throwing all through his minor league profession.
The Astros at present have three catchers on their 40-man roster. Yainer Diaz ought to get the majority of massive league enjoying time, with Victor Caratini additionally lined up for a notable chunk and César Salazar in Triple-A. Diaz and Caratini additionally spent a while at first base final yr because the Astros tried to cowl that spot after releasing José Abreu. Diaz was additionally slotted in because the designated hitter on occasion, preserving his bat within the lineup even when he acquired a break from catching.
Hudson offers them a little bit of non-roster depth on the Triple-A degree. That might maybe be vital as they may proceed to experiment with rotating Diaz and Caratini by means of first, which could tempt them to have Salazar within the majors as a 3rd catcher. Then there’s the ever-present chance of an damage altering the plans. If Hudson will get a roster spot at any level, he has lower than a yr of service time and nonetheless has choices, which means he’ll be low cost and supply roster flexibility.