Houston Astros promote former World Series champion in latest roster shakeup

After managing to get back into contention before the All-Star break, the Houston Astros seemed like a prime candidate to bolster their roster. When they took over first place in the American League West, it all but solidified their plans ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.

We’ll see how aggressive they are, especially with two areas that could benefit from an upgrade.

Starting pitchers appear to be the area that will draw the most attention from management, but they could use another consistent hitter at first base to complement Jon Singleton.

As the Astros look for options on the market, they decided to give one of their former World Series champions another chance with the franchise after signing him to a minor league contract in mid-July.

But, according to Chandler Rome of The AthleticHouston promoted Aledmys Diaz. They selected Grae Kessinger in a corresponding move and designated infielder David Hensley for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

It hasn’t been a stellar season for Diaz.

The 33-year-old went 3-for-29 in 12 games with the Oakland Athletics this season before being released on July 5.

This is certainly a low buy for the Astros, bringing in someone who hit 12 homers and had 38 RBIs in 92 games with Houston just two years ago on their way to winning a championship.

He’s probably not a viable long-term solution to their first base woes, but calling him up to see what he can do for a week before the deadline gives them a chance to figure out if they really should pursue another option.

If the Astros believe Diaz can be a solid platoon hitter for them going forward, then they can allocate their resources to land one of the biggest starting pitching names on the market, which will have a real impact on their World Series chances.