ARLINGTON – The Astros have promoted two of their top prospects to the big leagues within the last week – outfielder Pedro León (No. 24) and infielder Zach Dezenzo (No. 4). Dezenzo made his Major League debut in Tuesday's game against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, and he went 0-for-4. León made his debut on Saturday against Tampa Bay, going 1-for-3. Both had been hitting well at Triple-A Sugar Land, but the Astros are in search of some additional offensive punches. Dezenzo's promotion came after only 11 games played at Triple-A, but he made a strong impression. He was hitting .391 with 14 runs, four doubles, four homers, 13 RBIs, six walks and three steals for the Space Cowboys while splitting time between third base and first base, which is where he'll get the majority of his at-bats with Houston. "We're excited about what he was doing in Triple-A," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "His at-bats were good, he felt like it was time to bring him up here and hopefully that can transfer into the Major League level. He's been swinging at strikes and hitting balls hard and we need some of that." Dezenzo, a 12th-round Draft pick out of Ohio State in 2022, began the season on the Minor League injured list with a wrist injury and joined Double-A Corpus Christi on June 18 before being promoted to Triple-A on July 23. Sugar Land was off Monday, but manager Mickey Storey called Dezenzo at about 12:30 a.m. CT on Tuesday morning and told him to pack his bags for Arlington. "I kind of took a moment to take it all in," Dezenzo said. "I had some emotions, obviously, calling my parents and let them know first. Called my grandparents, all those who are close to me. Pretty emotional time, but yeah really tried to take it all in and started packing and getting ready for my flight this morning." |
Dezenzo was unfazed by his promotion to Triple-A, and the Astros are hoping that's the case with the move to the Major Leagues. The Astros handed the first base starting job to Jon Singleton after they released veteran Jose Abreu in June, but Singleton had a .665 OPS entering Tuesday's game. "It's not so much [a lineup] shakeup, but [a] need [for] some offense," general manager Dana Brown said. "At this point, he's 24 years old and swinging it well in Triple-A, and we're like, 'You know what, this is a good time to bring him up.' I know when I was in Atlanta, we brought up a lot of young players and it always seemed to work. We do a good job here of preparing these guys, so I felt very comfortable." Espada said Dezenzo hits the ball hard in the zone and they need more batters who are able to control the strike zone. At 6-foot-5, Dezenzo looks the part of a dangerous hitter. "He looks like he's built right," Espada said. "Mickey and [Double-A manager] Joe Thon, the stuff they say about him is very encouraging, especially coming here right now and asking him to play right in the middle of a pennant race. We talked in the office for a while and I told him, 'Just be yourself. Don't try to do too much. Come here and have fun,' and I told the veteran players to embrace the young players like they always do. … He seems to be in a good place." |
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VERLANDER POSTURING FOR RETURN |
Justin Verlander, who has been out for two months with a stiff neck, is expected to make a Minor League rehab start this weekend for Triple-A Sugar Land, which is playing El Paso from Tuesday-Sunday at Constellation Field. Verlander said at 41 years old, he's learned a lot more about his body while rehabbing this injury, especially when it comes to his posture. "You end up getting in some compensatory positions you don't even realize you're in until something happens," Verlander said. "So this brought a lot of awareness to my posture and I feel like it's been very beneficial, especially to my mechanics. I feel, interestingly, as I fix my neck posture, my back posture, it's given me some more mobility in my arms, [scapula], upper back, and I feel a little bit more free and easy than I did before the injury. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. I hope so. I try to be positive about it. Obviously, you never want to have an injury, but the only thing you can do is learn and move forward." |
Astros pitching prospect Ryan Gusto, who was named the Astros' upper-level Minor League Player of the Month on Thursday, took home more honors Monday when he was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month for July. He was 3-1 with a 1.15 ERA in five July starts, with seven walks and 29 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. Among qualified pitchers, Gusto led the PCL in ERA, innings pitched, WHIP (0.80), strikeouts (29) and batting average (.168). He is 6-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 21 outings (19 starts), and he put himself in position to perhaps help the Major League club. "Gusto was kind of like my favorite [player] coming out of Spring Training," Brown said. "I was like, 'Man, this guy was pretty dominant in all of the big league games he threw in [the spring].' He started off slow and he started to pick up and if we have a hiccup in the rotation, he could easily be called up. He's just a phone call away because he's pitching that well." |
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