Astros sign Craig Kimbrel to major-league contract, will join club on Friday

The Houston Astros have signed veteran right-handed reliever Craig Kimbrel to a major-league contract, ESPN reports. MLB.com adds that Kimbrel will be joining the club on Friday during their four-game road series against the Orioles. 

Kimbrel, 37, signed a minor-league deal with the Braves back in March but was released in early June after making only one appearance for the big-league club. Since, Kimbrel has pitched in the minors for the Rangers, but they released him earlier on Thursday. In a combined 39 innings in the Braves’ and Rangers’ systems this season, Kimbrel has a 3.69 ERA and 51 strikeouts against 21 walks. Kimbrel in 2024 was primarily in the majors with Baltimore, and with them he put up a 5.33 ERA in 52 1/3 innings while struggling badly with his control.

Kimbrel, who has 440 saves and will one day be a strong candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame, was earlier in his career one of the most dominant relievers of the modern era. However, the nine-time All-Star hasn’t been in peak form on a sustained basis in several years. 

For the Astros, the signing of Kimbrel is in response to the news that lockdown closer Josh Hader will likely miss the remainder of the regular season because of a shoulder injury. Being that the trade deadline has long passed, Houston’s external options to replace Hader were quite limited. Whether Kimbrel assumes a high-leverage role right away or works lower in the hierarchy is yet to be determined.

Kimbrel joins a first-place team in Houston, but their lead over the second-place Mariners is a slim one at 1 1/2 games.