The Houston Astros are set to face off against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday for their second game of the 2026 season. Leading up to the contest, the organization announced a roster move that is taking effect immediately.
Houston announced that Cesar Salazar cleared waivers. The 30-year-old catcher is being outrighted to Triple-A Sugar Land after initially being designated for assignment by the Astros on Wednesday, March 25.
“C Cesar Salazar has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple A Sugar Land,” the Astros wrote. “Salazar was designated for assignment by us on Wednesday.”
Salazar has been up and down from the minor leagues to the majors the past three seasons with Houston. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and has played in 36 total games since. Cesar Salazar has only really been called up to the Astros' roster as a sporadic fill-in.
In the games he has played, Salazar has recorded a career .232 batting average and .318 OBP, while totaling 13 hits and nine RBIs. He has yet to hit a home run in the majors.
With the Astros' roster set, the club can focus on taking on the Angels on Friday. Houston hopes to earn its first win of the 2026 season after suffering a 3-0 loss to Los Angeles on Opening Day.
For the matchup against the Angels, manager Joe Espada is going to utilize a batting order with Jeremy Pena in the lead-off spot and Yordan Alvarez batting second. Isaac Parades will bat third with Jose Altuve in cleanup. Spots five through nine will be Carlos Correa, Cam Smith, Christian Walker, Yainer Diaz, and Brice Matthews, while Mike Burrows starts on the mound.
