Astros Designate Veteran Reliever for Assignment Prior to Wednesday's Game

The Houston Astros made a roster move before the game.
Mar 16, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA;  Houston Astros pitcher Tayler Scott (50) throws a pitch during the second inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park
Mar 16, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Tayler Scott (50) throws a pitch during the second inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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The Houston Astros are going for a series win on Wednesday.

After losing a high-scoring affair in Game 1 of their set against the Kansas City Royals, the Astros were able to get back in the winner's circle on Tuesday via a walk-off homer by Isaac Paredes, the first of his career.

Now, another Houston player will have a first career milestone in the finale.

The Astros called up 14th-ranked prospect Connor Gordon to make the start, and while that is exciting considering the lefty has had a solid tenure in the minors and was great to start the year in Triple-A, it also means another roster move had to be made.

And according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the decision was to designate reliever Tayler Scott for assignment.

Perhaps that shouldn't be too surprising.

Scott was dominant in 2024 with a 2.23 ERA and 180 ERA+ across his 62 appearances, but to start this season, he's had some major struggles with an ERA of 5.40.

It seemed like the journeyman had finally found his home in Houston, performing well when he finally got a chance to consistently pitch in the bigs. However, unless he goes unclaimed on waivers, he will be searching for his next home.

This also was a fairly easy decision for the Astros to make.

Entering play on Wednesday, their bullpen has the second-best ERA in Major League Baseball (2.78), a number that could be even better if Scott hadn't performed so poorly.

Who takes his place as an option on the relief staff will be interesting to see.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai