Right-hander Christian Roa is back with the Astros on a minor league deal, first reported by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Roa was designated for assignment by the Cubs last week. He elected free agency and returned to the Astros, where he began the year.
It’s been a whirlwind campaign for the 27-year-old Roa. He joined the Astros on a minor league deal and broke camp with the team. Roa was DFAed after seven appearances with the club. He was claimed off waivers by the Twins and DFAed again within two weeks. The Orioles then took a turn, claiming Roa in early May, only to designate him in less than a week. Finally, the Cubs snagged Roa off waivers. He lasted more than a month in the organization before hitting the waiver wire again.
Roa posted a 5.19 ERA in 8 2/3 frames with Houston. As has been the case during much of his minor league tenure, he struggled with control. Roa had more walks (7) than strikeouts (6) during his brief time with Houston. He had a 3:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his three innings with the Marlins last season.
It’s not surprising that Roa’s arsenal has intrigued multiple teams. He sits in the mid to upper-90s with the four-seamer and sinker. The fastballs are complemented by a slider and changeup, both in the upper-80s. Roa leaned on the slider more than any other pitch with the Astros. It generated a 35.7% whiff rate and held opponents to a .111 batting average. Roa has put up big strikeout numbers at times in the minors, including a 30.3% mark in 15 appearances at Triple-A this year.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
