One of the Houston Astros’ minor league pitchers was claimed off waivers by their American League rivals, meaning he was lost.
The Houston Astros took a chance on a pitcher who had spent most of his career in the minor leagues last offseason in February.
Matt Gage was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the tenth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He spent a season in the Mexican League and was then traded to a number of different organizations before making his Toronto Blue Jays debut in 2022.
After the Blue Jays acquired another Major League reliever in January 2023, the left-hander was designated for assignment. During his 11 games that season, he pitched 13 innings and recorded an ERA of 1.38.
The Astros jumped on it, claiming Gage off waivers and optioning him to Triple-A.
Luis Garcia was called up after his elbow injury put him on the 15-day injured list. After bouncing between their Triple-A affiliate and the Major League roster, he appeared in just five games for Houston, pitching six and a third innings with a 2.70 ERA.
He pitched in 34 Triple-A games overall, giving up 37 1/3 innings with an ERA of 4.58.
The Astros had to make room for Josh Hader, their latest addition, so the New York Yankees claimed Gage off waivers, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
Being from upstate New York, Gage is probably going to start out in the Yankees’ system and be available should someone in their bullpen get hurt or perform poorly.
For Houston, it’s not a significant loss.
They had to take a chance on losing someone to bring Hader into the lineup because Gage is a fringe player.
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