"The Astros reached a minor league agreement with right-hander Christian Roa, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. It's a homecoming for the Houston native and Texas A&M product. Roa was a second-round pick of the Reds in 2020. Cincinnati added him to the 40-man roster three years later to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Roa struggled in Triple-A during the '24 season. He sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in August without reaching the majors. The Reds tried to sneak him through waivers"
"The 26-year-old spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A Jacksonville. He had a nice year, working to a 2.60 earned run average while striking out 26.1% of batters faced. Miami called him up in the final few weeks. Roa got into his first two big league contests, tossing three scoreless innings. He struck out and walked three batters apiece."
"Roa has a four-seam fastball and sinker that each sit around 96 MPH on average. He leans mostly on the heaters and a mid-80s slider, only sporadically mixing in a changeup. Roa had starting experience early in his minor league career but has been a full-time bullpen arm for the last two seasons. Last year's 11.4% walk percentage was still an issue but represented a step forward from his 14-17% marks of the previous three seasons."
Christian Roa signed a minor league contract with the Astros, returning to Houston. The 26-year-old was a second-round pick by the Reds in 2020 and added to Cincinnati's 40-man roster in 2023. Roa struggled in Triple-A in 2024 and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in August before making his major-league debut. Miami claimed him through waivers late in the year; he spent most of the season at Triple-A Jacksonville, posting a 2.60 ERA and a 26.1% strikeout rate, and logged three scoreless big-league innings in two appearances. Roa throws mid-90s four-seam and sinker, uses a mid-80s slider and occasional changeup, has moved to a full-time bullpen role, and still shows walk-rate concerns despite improvement.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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