The Astros have signed infielder Zack Brief to a minor league deal, based on his MLB.com transaction tracker. Chandler Rome of The Athletic has confirmed the deal for the ACES shopper and that it comes with an invite to large league camp.
Brief, 30 in Might, has appeared in elements of the previous 4 main league seasons. He has usually served as a light-hitting utility participant, largely with the Tigers. He was placed on waivers by Detroit final winter and ended up bouncing to the Mets, Pink Sox and Atlanta, with that final membership outrighting him off their roster in July.
He has 538 main league plate appearances up to now in his profession. He has drawn a stroll in 12.3% of these but additionally been struck out at a 28.6% clip. He has hit 13 house runs however produced a .167/.269/.287 slash line for a 57 wRC+, indicating he’s been 43% worse than league common general.
As one would count on, his minor league manufacturing has been much better. He has stepped to the plate 966 instances on the Triple-A stage over the previous 4 years. His 26.4% strikeout fee in that pattern remains to be excessive however he additionally has a 16.4% stroll fee and 25 house runs, resulting in a mixed .225/.361/.383 batting line and 102 wRC+.
If Brief have been able to hitting like that towards main league pitching, it might make him a helpful participant, since he already gives defensive versatility. He has over 300 innings of huge league work on the three infield spots to the left of first base, in addition to occasional outfield appearances. Bridging the hole between his main league offense and his minor league manufacturing might flip him right into a strong bench/utility man.
The Astros presently mission to have a left-to-right infield of Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker. They might have Mauricio Dubón in a utility function, however he would possibly have to spend extra time within the outfield, relying on how the membership assaults that a part of the roster within the coming weeks. Shay Whitcomb and Zach Dezenzo are different choices on the 40-man roster.
Brief burned his last choice yr in 2023, which is why he ended up bouncing across the league final yr. That may make it arduous for him to hold onto a roster spot even when he will get one. However he’s nonetheless shy of three years of service time, that means he may very well be cheaply retained past the 2025 season if he manages to complete the yr on the roster.
