The Astros announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of right-handed reliever Jordan Weems from Triple-A Sugar Land. Left-hander Colton Gordon was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Houston had an open 40-man spot.
It’s Weems’ second Astros stint of the season. He was up briefly from late June into early July, tossing three innings and allowing a pair of runs on five hits and no walks without a strikeout. Weems had opened the season in the Braves organization after signing a minor league deal but opted out of that contract and landed with Houston instead. He’s pitched well for their Triple-A club, logging 17 2/3 innings with a 3.06 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate.
Weems, 32, has now pitched in parts of six major league seasons. He’s previously suited up for the A’s, D-backs and Nationals. Add in his brief stint with the ’Stros earlier in the summer, and the 6’4″ righty has totaled 158 2/3 big league frames with a 5.28 ERA, 23.2% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate and 37% ground-ball rate. He’s not far removed from posting a 3.62 ERA in a career-high 54 2/3 innings with the 2023 Nats, though that production came in spite of an ugly 12.1% walk rate and 1.48 HR/9. Some regression seemed inevitable, and Weems indeed struggled mightily with the ’24 Nats.
The call to the majors for Weems comes just one day after Houston placed star closer Josh Hader on the injured list with a shoulder strain. It’s still not clear how long Hader will be sidelined. Obviously, Weems isn’t going to be viewed as any kind of replacement. The Astros will mix and match in the ninth inning, giving save opportunities to righty Bryan Abreu and lefties Bryan King, Bennett Sousa and Steven Okert. Weems adds some depth to backfill the bullpen, though it’s also possible that he’s just being called up as a fresh arm and is in for another short stint on the roster. Houston was shellacked 14-1 at the hands of the Red Sox yesterday and used three relievers before turning things over to outfielder Chas McCormick to pitch the final two frames of mop-up work.