The Houston Astros added another piece to their unsettled outfield Sunday, claiming 25-year-old switch-hitter Jorge Barrosa off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks, via the MLB transaction log.
Barrosa, born Feb. 17, 2001, in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, signed with Arizona as an international free agent in 2017 and spent more than 11 years in the organization.
The Diamondbacks designated him for assignment Friday to make room for the return of Tommy Troy from the injured list. Houston claimed him two days later and will have him join the club for its upcoming series in Philadelphia.
To open roster spots, the Astros optioned outfielder Jake Meyers to Triple-A Sugar Land and transferred right-hander Mike Burrows from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Burrows has been out since early July, so the move does not change his return timeline. Barrosa is out of minor-league options, meaning Houston would have to designate him for assignment again to remove him from the active roster.
The glove is the attraction. Barrosa has played all three outfield spots, primarily center field, and public defensive metrics have graded him as above average.
This season, he recorded plus marks in defensive runs saved and outs above average while filling in amid Arizona’s injuries. He is listed at 5-foot-6 and 175 pounds, bats switch, and throws left-handed.
The bat has not followed. In 254 career plate appearances across parts of three seasons with the Diamondbacks, Barrosa has hit .180/.241/.302 with three home runs and 20 RBI. Most of his big-league work came this year: 97 games, a .201/.285/.343 line, two homers, 12 RBI, and three stolen bases.
He has shown a modest platoon split, hitting .244/.364/.422 in a small sample against left-handed pitching. In Triple-A he has been a more productive hitter, but that production has not translated at the major-league level.
Houston’s outfield has been a season-long problem. The club has used a long list of left fielders, and deadline addition Daulton Varsho has struggled since arriving.
Barrosa joins a crowded, low-upside mix that includes Varsho, LaMonte Wade Jr., Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell, Nelson Velázquez, and occasional appearances by Yordan Alvarez.
He is not projected as a regular solution, but he gives the Astros a cheap, athletic defender who can cover center and the corners off the bench as they try to hold first place in the AL West down the stretch.
Whether Barrosa sticks beyond September depends on whether the bat can take even a small step forward. For now, Houston is betting the defense is worth a roster spot.
