Houston has faced a rough stretch with injuries, a situation highlighted by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, who noted Cody Bolton exited a game in the second inning after a trainer visit and that three starting pitchers had already been sidelined on the trip.
To bolster pitching depth, the Astros recently signed two pitchers to minor-league deals and assigned them to Triple-A Sugar Land: Miguel Yajure and Brandon Bielak. Both have begun their assignments in the Astros’ farm system.
Yajure, 27, began his major-league career with the New York Yankees in 2020, posting a 1.29 ERA in three games. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021 as part of a deal for Jameson Taillon.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan, writing on January 24, 2021, reported that the Yankees acquired Taillon from the Pirates in exchange for Yajure, Roansy Contreras, Maikel Escotto, and Canaan Smith, a moving of parts that helped shape both organizations’ futures.
During his time with the Pirates, Yajure appeared in 16 MLB games across two seasons, going 1-3 with an 8.69 ERA, and he has not pitched in the majors since 2022.
Alongside Yajure, Brandon Bielak joins the organization’s depth charts as he reports to Sugar Land. The signings reflect the Astros’ strategy to shore up pitching depth amid a period marked by injuries and limited rotation options.
