HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 07: Zack Short #38 of the Houston Astros breaks his bat as he flies out in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park on July 07, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) Getty
The Houston Astros are preparing to face the Chicago White Sox in their first Wild Card series game. However, the Houston Astros' news of the day would be incomplete without discussing Zack Short .
Both teams are starting the Wild Card series off with a bullpen game. Hagen Smith opens for the White Sox, while AJ Blubaugh opens for the Astros.
The first game of the series is scheduled for September 29th, 2026, at 4:00 PM Central Time, 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Games 2 & 3 (if needed) are scheduled for the same time.
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 07: Zack Short #38 of the Houston Astros breaks his bat as he flies out in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park on July 07, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Today's Astros' news (that might be more interesting than their starting lineup) involves Short.
On September 29th, he decided to leave his team and become a free agent (according to the MiLB Transactions Log): "SS Zack Short elected free agency."
The 31-year-old infielder elected free agency because his newest team (the New York Mets ) are done for the year.
Short is an experienced MLB and minor league player.
He has primarily been an infielder, playing 24 games at shortstop and four games at second base this year in the MLB.
Short has also played for several teams. Before he left the Mets, he made stops with the Chicago Cubs , Detroit Tigers , Boston Red Sox , Atlanta Braves , New York Yankees, Washington Nationals , and the Astros.
He has had quite the 2026 season.
To start, he left the Astros in October 2025. Then in December 2025, he signed with the Yankees.
After spending around three and a half months with the Yankees, he was traded to the Nationals for cash considerations. A little more than one month later, the Nationals traded him to the Tigers for cash.
Six days later, he would elect free agency after being sent outright to the minors. Short would sign a new minor league deal with the Tigers the following day.
Unfortunately, a month later, he was designated for assignment and then claimed off waivers by the Mets.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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