The Astros are adding right-hander Miguel Yajure on a minor league agreement, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The 27-year-old has spent the past two seasons pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Pirates in 2022.
Yajure’s stateside return comes after he posted a 3.72 ERA across two years in NPB. He had an underwhelming campaign this past season with the Rakuten Eagles, but was productive in 2024 with the Yakult Swallows, delivering a 3.34 ERA across 23 appearances. Yajure tossed 129 1/3 innings with the Swallows, his highest mark as a professional since 2019.
Yajure was once a prospect of note in the Yankees’ system. New York signed him out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old. He worked his way up the minor league ladder, reaching the majors as a 22-year-old in the shortened 2020 season. Yajure was solid out of the bullpen for the Yankees, allowing a run over seven innings with a 27.6% strikeout rate.
The Pirates acquired Yajure in the Jameson Taillon trade, along with right-hander Roansy Contreras, shortstop Maikol Escotto, and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba. Contreras would become a semi-regular member of Pittsburgh’s pitching staff in the seasons following the deal. Yajure and Smith-Njigba had brief stints with the club but failed to stick around long-term. Escotto topped out at Double-A.
Yajure was blasted for 14 earned runs in 15 innings with Pittsburgh in 2021. He was even worse the following year, notching an 8.88 ERA across 12 appearances, mostly out of the bullpen. Yajure had as many walks as strikeouts in 2022. He was scooped up off waivers by the Giants at the end of that season. After posting an ERA above 6.00 between three minor league levels in San Francisco’s system, he departed for Japan.
Houston continues to deal with a slew of injuries in the rotation. Cody Bolton recently joined Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Tatsuya Imai on the injured list. Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski, and Brandon Walter were already there to start the year. Peter Lambert was recalled to start tonight against the Cardinals. Like Yajure, he was in NPB last year and came to the Astros on a minor league deal. Lambert will be the 10th starting pitcher for the Astros in their 21st game of the season.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
