The Houston Astros are not having a good 2026 season. At 24-31, the Astros are only 3.5 games back of the AL West lead, but there are plenty of rumors circulating about their star players being available for trade.

While there is going to be plenty of attention on the trade market in the near future with the Astros, they made a different roster move recently involving a prospect.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros are releasing former $1.3 million international signing Luis Baez four years after he signed on with Houston.

Astros release Luis Baez four years after signing $1.3M deal

“The Astros released OF Luis Baez,” Rome reports. “Baez’s $1.3 million singing bonus was the largest of Houston’s 2022 international class, and in some publications, he rose as high as No. 2 in organizational rankings.”

This release from the Astros is very interesting, as Baez is still just 23 years old, and in his minor league career, he has a .752 OPS. So, why did the Astros release him?

Well, during the 2026 minor league season at Double-A, which is the highest level he’s played at, Baez, in 27 games, had a .177 batting average and a .440 OPS. He had a .246 average and a .644 OPS in 66 Double-A games last season.

At the Double-A level, Baez had a .594 OPS, far lower than the .779 OPS at High-A, the .737 OPS at Single-A, and the .952 OPS in Rookie ball.

This is an unfortunate end to Baez’s stint within the Astros organization, as they’re cutting ties with the 23-year-old outfielder after some significant struggles at Double-A during his minor league career.

Four years after signing with the Astros on a $1.3 million signing bonus in the international signing period, Baez is being released by the Astros.