The Astros added three players to their 40-man roster today. With the hiring of new Houston Astros general manager Randy Flores on Oct. 30, the team was put in a position where they were forced to make a few moves to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule V Draft in December. With the start of the season in jeopardy and possibly the entire season because of labor negotiations, players selected to 40-man rosters will not be eligible to play in the minor leagues in 2027 if there is no MLB season.
The Rule V Draft happens every year at the Winter Meetings in December. Its purpose is to prevent teams from overloading players on their affiliated minor league teams who might be good enough to see playing time on the major league club of other franchises. If taken in the Rule V Draft, a player must stay on the new team's active roster for the entirety of the season. If not, he will be waived and offered back to the original team.
The deadline for adding minor league players with six years of service time to the 40-man roster to prevent them from becoming free agents passed on the last day of the World Series. So, these three moves are about protecting players from future draft consideration.
The Astros selected RHP Roddery Munoz, RHP Evan Reifert and C Cesar Salazar to the 40-man roster. This move is coupled with the outrighting of Jake Meyers , who elected free agency.
Houston Astros pitcher Roddery Muoz (46) delivers a pitch against the Athletics Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Munoz, a 26-year-old Dominican-born right-handed pitcher, has appeared in three major league seasons for a total of 30 games across three franchises. Last season for the Astros, Munoz made three appearances with a 15.75 ERA. He spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, where he pitched to a 3.06 ERA in 53 appearances. He will be 27 in April of 2027 and may be a player the Astros are trying to work into their bullpen in a more active 2027 role given his minor league success. Munoz was a Rule V pick for the Astros in 2025 and after he was designated for assignment in April, the Reds did not take him back.
Reifert was acquired officially today from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations. The Iowan has been a lockdown reliever in the minor leagues, registering a 2.91 ERA in 191 appearances since 2021 with the Brewers and Rays farm teams. He will be 28 in 2027. He has yet to make his major league debut and was taken as an undrafted free agent because of the abbreviated 2020 MLB Amateur draft.
Salazar, a 30-year-old Mexican-born catcher, has spent time behind the plate for the Astros' major league roster at least nine times in each of the last four seasons. He has appeared in 45 major league games with a .512 OPS. He was also designated for assignment by the Astros but cleared waivers.
With the latest moves, the Astros now have 39 players on their 40-man roster. These three players will be protected from being signed by other Major League teams. These moves potentially strengthen the pitching of the roster given the minor league results of Munoz and Reifert.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Astros Make Three Important Decisions With 40-Man Roster .
