The Houston Astros designated right-hander Jason Alexander for assignment on Thursday, clearing a 40-man roster spot after placing outfielder Daulton Varsho on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation and selecting outfielder Jorge Barrosa from the minors, per Astros insider Brian McTaggart.

Alexander, 33, became the roster casualty as Houston shuffled its depth in the final week of the regular season. The move ends a two-year run in the organization that began as a waiver-wire find and briefly made him a useful starter.

Houston claimed Alexander from the Athletics in May 2025 after a rough six-inning stint in Oakland. He responded with one of the better depth-pitching stretches of his career, going 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA over 71 1/3 innings in 14 appearances, 13 of them starts.

He threw six scoreless innings against Miami and later six more at Yankee Stadium, giving the Astros innings when the rotation was thin.

That success did not carry into 2026.

Alexander opened the year in Triple-A Sugar Land, bounced up and down as a spot starter and long reliever, and finished his major-league work 1-1 with a 9.33 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings across four games.

His most memorable outing was a brutal start in Texas, when he allowed eight runs in the first inning and nine in six innings before being optioned.

At Triple-A, he posted an ERA in the mid-5.00s in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and also spent time on the injured list.

Because Alexander is out of minor-league options after this season, keeping him on the 40-man roster had less value as September depth.

With the trade deadline long past, Houston must now place him on waivers.

Another club looking for innings could claim him before the season ends; if he clears, the Astros could outright him to Sugar Land if he accepts the assignment.

Career-wise, Alexander is 7-6 with a 5.54 ERA in 167 1/3 innings over 40 games since 2022 with Milwaukee, the Athletics, and Houston. He remains a ground-ball sinker-and-changeup pitcher rather than a high-strikeout arm.

For Houston, the DFA is less a verdict on his 2025 contribution than a late-season numbers game: an extra outfielder was more useful this week than a 40-man pitcher who was already in Triple-A.

For Alexander, it is another turn through the waiver process that once delivered him his best big-league opportunity.