The Astros announced Friday that they’ve claimed infielder Logan Davidson off waivers from the A’s and designated right-hander Nick Robertson for assignment in a corresponding move. Houston also placed lefty Brandon Walter on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation and recalled righty Nick Hernandez from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Davidson, 27, was the Athletics’ first-round pick back in 2017. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week. The Clemson product made his big league debut this season and collected his first few big league hits but only tallied 24 plate appearances. He’s spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .263/.412/.397 with a colossal 19.4% walk rate but a 26.4% strikeout rate and only seven homers in 330 plate appearances.
That’s Davidson’s third run at the Triple-A level. He’s a career .278/.374/.446 hitter in just over 900 plate appearances there. Davidson has primarily been a shortstop in his pro career but has at least 500 innings at all four infield positions and another 350 innings of outfield work under his belt. He’ll add a switch-hitting depth piece with a full slate of minor league options to the Houston depth chart.
The Astros added Robertson, 27, in an April 1 trade with the Blue Jays. He’s spent the whole season in Triple-A, where he’s worked 32 2/3 innings of relief with a 4.68 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate and grisly 17.2% walk rate.
Robertson has a history of missing bats in the upper minors but also well below-average command. He’s pitched 35 2/3 innings across four teams (Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Jays) and posted a 5.30 ERA while fanning nearly a quarter of his opponents against a 6.8% ealk rate. Houston has five days to trade him or place him on outright waivers.
More to come.