After formally saying the Christian Walker signing earlier in the present day, the Astros have designated infielder Grae Kessinger for project to open a spot for Walker on the 40-man roster (per Chandler Rome of The Athletic).
Kessinger, 27, was Houston’s second-round choose within the 2019 draft. The grandson of six-time All-Star Don Kessinger, he confirmed off glorious bat-to-ball abilities in faculty, hitting .330 with a .904 OPS in his junior 12 months at Ole Miss. Nonetheless, evaluators had issues about his capability to maintain up towards main league pitching. There have been additionally rumblings he wouldn’t be capable of stick at shortstop. Certainly, Kessinger struggled on the plate over his first few years within the Astros farm system, and he performed throughout the infield because the group regarded to maximise his versatility.
After his promotion to Triple-A in 2023, Kessinger appeared to take a step ahead on the plate. He improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio and put up an .832 OPS and a 107 wRC+. It was sufficient to earn him a call-up to the large league membership that summer season. Nonetheless, he didn’t make an offensive influence on the main league stage, going 8-for-40 with 12 strikeouts, good for a .614 OPS and 73 wRC+ in 26 video games.
Regardless of his huge league struggles in 2023, Kessinger made the Astros’ Opening Day roster in 2024. Sadly, he continued to come back up quick towards MLB pitching. In 25 plate appearances, he didn’t handle a single hit. He walked thrice, reached as soon as on a hit-by-pitch, and struck out seven instances. To make issues worse, he regressed at Triple-A as nicely. His OPS dropped by greater than 100 factors from the 12 months earlier than, whereas his wRC+ fell to a well-below-average 83.
Contemplating all his struggles on the plate, it’s hardly shocking to see Kessinger DFA’d. Nonetheless, he can nonetheless present worth along with his versatility – he’s performed all 4 infield positions on the MLB stage – and there might definitely be a workforce that sees sufficient potential within the former second-round choose to say him off of waivers. If not, the Astros could have the choice to ship him outright to the minors and maintain him within the group.
