Former Dodgers and Yankees pitcher heads to Houston

Ferguson is the second left-handed hurler heading to Houston after Monday night’s acquisition of

former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, whom the Astros got in exchange for

outfielder/first baseman Joey Loperfido, pitcher Jake Bloss, and minor-league infielder Will Wagner,

the son of franchise great Billy Wagner.

At 55-51, the Astros have a slim percentage lead over the Seattle Mariners for first in the AL West

heading into Tuesday night’s second of three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ahead of the game, the team announced it called up outfielder Pedro Leon, who will wear No. 4, to take

Loperfido’s place on the roster. The club also said Kyle Tucker, who hasn’t played since June 3 when he

suffered a leg contusion, was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Finally, Kikuchi will report to the team on Wednesday, the Astros said. the list of 60-day injured.

Ultimately, the Astros announced that Kikuchi will report to the team on Wednesday.

More about Caleb Ferguson

Houston marks Ferguson’s third different team since last October.

The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted the Ohio native out of high school in the 38th round of the 2014 MLB

Draft and later called him up in 2018, appearing in that year’s postseason during L.A.’s World Series run.

Ferguson has twice undergone Tommy John surgery, the latest during the 2020 season, which forced

him to miss the entire 2021 season. But in 2022, he rebounded to a career-best 1.82 ERA across 35

innings pitched.

Ferguson remained in Dodger Blue until after the 2023 season when L.A. traded him to New York and

the Yankees Pinstripes.

In New York, the 27-year-old appeared in 42 games and pitched 33.1 innings, allowing 34 hits, 19 earned

runs, 16 walks, and five home runs for a 5.13 ERA.

The current Astros lineup has either one or two at-bats against Ferguson, most were retired via

groundout or flyout. Yanier Diaz owns a walk against Ferguson. and a 5.13 ERA with five home runs.

Ferguson has faced the current Astros lineup in one or two at-bats, the majority of which ended in

groundouts or flyouts. Against Ferguson, Yanier Diaz owns a walk.