The Astros have signed infielder Zack Short to a minor league deal, according to his MLB.com transaction tracker. Chandler Rome of The Athletic has confirmed the deal for the ACES client and that it comes with an invitation to big league camp.
Short, 30 in May, has appeared in parts of the past four major league seasons. He has generally served as a light-hitting utility player, mostly with the Tigers. He was put on waivers by Detroit last winter and ended up bouncing to the Mets, Red Sox and Atlanta, with that last club outrighting him off their roster in July.
He has 538 major league plate appearances to this point in his career. He has drawn a walk in 12.3% of those but also been struck out at a 28.6% clip. He has hit 13 home runs but produced a .167/.269/.287 slash line for a 57 wRC+, indicating he’s been 43% worse than league average overall.
As one would expect, his minor league production has been far better. He has stepped to the plate 966 times at the Triple-A level over the past four years. His 26.4% strikeout rate in that sample is still high but he also has a 16.4% walk rate and 25 home runs, leading to a combined .225/.361/.383 batting line and 102 wRC+.
If Short were capable of hitting like that against major league pitching, it could make him a useful player, since he already provides defensive versatility. He has over 300 innings of big league work at the three infield spots to the left of first base, as well as occasional outfield appearances. Bridging the gap between his major league offense and his minor league production could turn him into a solid bench/utility guy.
The Astros currently project to have a left-to-right infield of Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker. They could have Mauricio Dubón in a utility role, but he might need to spend more time in the outfield, depending on how the club attacks that part of the roster in the coming weeks. Shay Whitcomb and Zach Dezenzo are other options on the 40-man roster.
Short burned his final option year in 2023, which is why he ended up bouncing around the league last year. That will make it hard for him to hang onto a roster spot even if he gets one. But he’s still shy of three years of service time, meaning he could be cheaply retained beyond the 2025 season if he manages to finish the year on the roster.