Nelson Velázquez

The Houston Astros have released outfielder Nelson Velazquez, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. McTaggart reports that Velazquez will pursue an "opportunity with a club in Asia" upon his release. Across 113 plate appearances split between the Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026, Velazquez hit .188/.257/.406 with six home runs, 18 RBI, and 12 runs scored. The 27-year-old has flashed high-end power, logging a 14% barrel rate and a 45% hard-hit rate across 728 career big-league plate appearances. However, Velazquez has also consistently graded out as a poor defender in the outfield, and he struck out in 29.5% of his trips to the plate. He may get another chance to prove himself at the MLB level, but it sounds as though he will be playing somewhere in Asia in 2027.