The Houston Astros surprisingly didn’t acquire any pitching (starting or relief) at the MLB trade deadline, as all their emphasis went towards upgrading the offense. The Astros ended July with a 3.65 ERA, ranking them 11th in the MLB.
On the season, Houston has one of the best bullpens in baseball with a 3.34 ERA (third-best in the majors), along with 34 saves.
Despite their success, the Astros still made a few changes to their pitching staff Thursday before beginning a three-game set against the New York Yankees on Friday night.
According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Houston sent right-handed hurler Nick Hernandez back to Triple-A and designated right-handed reliever Luis Contreras for assignment, which opened up a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Astros have signed reliever Enyel De Los Santos to a major-league deal. He'll join the team in New York tomorrow. Nick Hernandez was optioned and Luis Contreras was DFAd to clear spots on the 26 and 40-man rosters.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 7, 2025
To fill that spot on the 40-man roster, Rome adds that the Astros signed veteran reliever Enyel De Los Santos to a major league deal. De Los Santos will join Houston in the Big Apple on Friday.
Astros Take Flyer on Veteran Reliever After Sending 2 Pitchers Packing
Houston will see what it can get out of the 29-year-old De Los Santos, who was designated for assignment last week by the Atlanta Braves. The veteran hurler cleared waivers and elected free agency earlier this week.
De Los Santos appeared in 43 games with the Braves, where he posted a 3-3 record and 4.53 ERA. The right-handed hurler allowed 39 hits, 22 earned runs (two home runs), and 18 walks while recording 38 strikeouts across 43.2 innings pitched.
Furthermore, opponents are hitting .231 at the plate with an OPS of .655 against the 29-year-old De Los Santos.
Since he’s out of minor league options, De Los Santos will need to pitch at his best every time he’s on the mound.
Meanwhile, Contreras will head to waivers to see if another team picks him up. The 29-year-old Venuezelan struggled in his brief time with the big league club this season, possessing an ERA of 6.75 across nine appearances.
Contreras made five appearances with the Astros last season, where he had a 9.00 ERA in five relief appearances. However, Contreras had much better success this season at Triple-A Sugar Land, where he recorded a 3.34 ERA across 18 relief appearances.
If Contreras can be the pitcher that we saw in Triple-A and not with the Astros, maybe there’s an opportunity for him, as teams are always looking for pitching depth.