Astros Sign Former Reliever Brandon Bielak to Minor League Contract

This Houston Astros are as pitching-starved as any team in the Majors so they’re turning to a former reliever for depth.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Brandon Bielak. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are so thin on their pitching staff that they're reaching back into the past to find depth they can stash away in the minor leagues.

On Friday, Houston signed Miguel Yajure and Brandon Bielak to minor-league deals, and the pair had already reported to Triple-A Sugar Land. Both transactions were revealed on their player pages as MiLB.com.  

This will be Yajure’s first stint with the Astros. For Bielak, he’s returning to the organization that drafted him nearly a decade ago.

Astros Sign Minor League Depth

Houston Astros starting pitcher Brandon Bielak. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Bielak has a long connection to the franchise, dating back to being selected in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB draft out of Notre Dame. It took the right-hander three years to make his Major League debut, as he was called up for the first time during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

He went up and down between the Astros and the minor leagues for the next four seasons before the Astros finally parted with him in 2024 when they designated him for assignment. With Houston, he went 11-13 with a 4.65 ERA in 76 games with 21 starts. He struck out 155 and walked 85 in 204 innings.

After he was DFA’ed, the Athletics picked him up for the rest of the 2024 season, but he elected for free agency the following year. He started 2025 with the Arizona Diamondbacks but was released from the minor leagues in May. He was not signed this offseason.

Bielak will probably need some ramp-up time, so it’s not clear if he’ll start, relieve or both for Houston should be promoted. The Astros need help in both areas, especially now that closer Josh Hader is on the 60-day injured list. Other relievers on the IL include left-hander Bennett Sousa and right-hander Nate Pearson, both of whom are on a rehab assignment.

Starters on the injured list include Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski. All are expected to be out for a while.

Yajure played for the New York Yankees (2020) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (2021-22). He went 1-3 with a 7.58 ERA in 19 games, including four starts. He struck out 35 and walked 28 in 44 innings. He last pitched in the minor leagues in 2023 with the San Francisco Giants, reaching Triple-A Sacramento.

Since then, the Venezuela native played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the NPB, along with Diablos Rojos del México.