Left-hander Joe Thatcher, who signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Astros this offseason, has been designated for assignment and dropped from the 40-man roster.
Thatcher filled a left-handed specialist role for Houston, appearing in 36 games but logging a total of just 19 innings. He had a decent 3.79 ERA, but wasn’t especially effective versus left-handed hitters. Or at least not good enough to warrant devoting a roster spot to that limited role.
Thatcher has a solid track record that includes a 3.43 ERA in nine seasons as a big leaguer, so he should be able to latch on somewhere else down the stretch.