Catcher Omar Narvaez was picked up by the Houston Astros late on June 5, 2025 on a minor league deal. He was assigned to the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
This comes after he had played four games at the Major League level this season with the Chicago White Sox.
Narvaez, from Maracay, Venezuela, has made MLB appearances in 10 different seasons. He made his debut with the White Sox in 2015 and has also played for the Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Mets. He was named an All-Star in 2021 with the Brewers. He has accumulated 5.9 career WAR in 681 MLB games.
This season, although a small sample size, Narvaez made pretty good contact with the baseball. In 10 plate appearances in Chicago, Narvaez collected two hits, walked twice, and drove in three runs. He was not released due to poor performance, necessarily, but due to the White Sox having a talented young group of catchers.
The White Sox called up former MLB top 100 prospect Edgar Quero in April and are calling up their No. 2 prospect, MLB’s No. 26 overall prospect, catcher Kyle Teel to make his debut against the Kansas City Royals tonight, June 6. Narvaez’s veteran status and one-year deal therefore made him expendable.
The Astros were quick to scoop up Narvaez as their young backstop Yainer Diaz has taken some steps back offensively from last year. It’s been Cuban veteran Victor Caratini who has been the most productive from the plate at the catcher position this season for the Astros, which was unforeseen going into the season. The Astros lead the AL West at 34-28 and can now call on Narvaez for a veteran presence if an injury occurs to one of their catchers. For now, Narvaez will pair up with Cesar Salazar to catch for Sugar Land as the Space Cowboys, 33-26, take on the San Francisco Giants Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, for a series this weekend.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo: The Chicago White Sox’s Omar Narváez slides into home to score on a double by Miguel Vargas during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Chicago. Narvaez has reached a minor league deal with the Houston Astros. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
