Astros Make Surprising Roster Moves After Latest Losing Streak

The Houston Astros have chosen to go with an offensive piece to make the team better, letting one struggling reliever go.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown (left) talks with manager Joe Espada before a game. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Amid the Houston Astros' two-game losing streak and ahead of the series opener against the Kansas City Royals on the road Friday night, the front office made some tough decisions regarding the MLB roster.

Houston was playing better baseball near the end of May as they tried to claw their way back into the AL West division. However, with the losing streak and momentum shift, Dana Brown made the move to bolster the offense by extracting a negative bullpen asset in the process.

Astros DFA RHP Ryan Weiss

Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Weiss (51) throws a pitch. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

As announced by MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, relief pitcher Ryan Weiss has been designated for assignment by the Astros. Replacing him on the 40-man roster is recent trade acquisition, Raynel Delgado, who will also fill in for the injured Shay Whitcomb.

Weiss held a 7.62 ERA across 26 innings of work, striking out 30 hitters while holding to a 2.115 WHIP (20 walks). Unfortunately, Weiss also allowed eight home runs and 35 hits in his MLB debut season.

Delgado was acquired by Houston in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays no less than a few days ago, and now he will be getting his long-awaited chance at making his MLB debut. In Triple-A thus far, Delgado hit .250 at the plate with three home runs and 33 RBIs.

Delgado hasn't been allowed to play in Major League Baseball in his career, having played at the Triple-A level for four seasons as part of the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, and Rays organizations.

Cleveland Guardians infielder Raynel Delgado against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game. | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

If Delgado can produce as he did in the minor leagues as soon as Friday night, he could be the long-term fix over Whitcomb, who was hitting .130 at the plate with limited power in 23 at-bats. Should Delgado get playing time, all eyes should be on how he plays defensively, having the ability to play several different positions.

The Astros bullpen should benefit from Weiss being let go, given that he was granted a ton of opportunities to improve his pitches. Going into the series opener against Kansas City, Houston's bullpen holds a 4.82 ERA, ranking seventh-worst in the MLB this season.

No one from the Astros organization thought this season would take a hit this fast after just missing the playoffs in 2025. But to get back into the thick of things, they're going to have to start winning, and unfortunately for some, sometimes hard decisions are the moves that have to be made to ignite change.