ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 6: Nelson Velázquez #38 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI single against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at Busch Stadium on July 6, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) Getty
Per multiple reports, the Houston Astros are releasing outfielder Nelson Velazquez.
Velazquez, 27, is set to pursue other baseball opportunities in Asia.
He briefly played for the St. Louis Cardinals this season, and following his DFA by the organization, the Astros claimed him off waivers.
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GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – JULY 6: Nelson Velázquez #38 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI single against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at Busch Stadium on July 6, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
MLBTR.com's Charlie Wright wrote (on 10/27):
"The 27-year-old Velazquez opened the 2026 campaign in the Cardinals system. He had his contract selected in late May. Velazquez compiled a .722 OPS across 34 games in St. Louis. He showed solid power but also struck out more than 30% of the time. The Cardinals designated Velazquez for assignment in early August. Houston added him via waiver claim. Velazquez went 3-for-27 with 13 strikeouts in his brief time as an Astro. Two of his three hits were home runs. Houston DFAed Velazquez after a week and a half on the roster. He cleared waivers and elected free agency, then re-upped with the organization on a minor league deal."
Despite striking out at a very high rate, Velazquez has actually put up decent power numbers over parts of four MLB seasons.
He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs, and has also had a brief stint with the Kansas City Royals in his career thus far.
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