Astros release former World Series champion

Astros manager Joe Espada says infielder/outfielder Aledmys Díaz has been released, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. This is the corresponding step for the club's selection of the infielder Shay Whitcomb, which has already been reported.

The Astros signed Díaz to a minor league contract last month after he was released by the Athletics and added him to their roster shortly thereafter. He saw little playing time in Houston, making four batting appearances in nearly a month on the roster. He went 0-for-4 and struck out twice.

It wasn't really expensive for the Astros to sign Díaz for this roster assignment. The A's still have to pay his salary after releasing him earlier this year. Oakland signed him for two years through 2023 and got very little for it. Díaz has hit .216/.265/.313 since the start of 2023 and has a wRC+ of 60, which prompted them to release him earlier this year.

He'll return to the open market in the next few days and may attract attention based on his track record to date. Since the A's still have to pay the majority of his salary, he'd essentially be a free deal for any interested club.

From 2016 to 2022, Díaz posted a batting average of .266/.320/.443 in 582 games for the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Astros. That performance translated to a wRC+ of 105, meaning he was 5% better than league average over that seven-year span. He offered plenty of flexibility on defense, playing all four infield positions as well as the outfield corners.