The Astros have claimed 24-year old righty swinging 3B German Duran off waivers from the Rangers. Duran has played in 25 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 13 for 87 (.149 avg, .392 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. The Astros don’t have much depth at 3B and that was the reason for them claiming Duran. Duran played in 60 games last season as a rookie for the Rangers and he was 33 for 143 (.231 avg, .625 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 3 homers and 16 RBIs. This was a good low risk gamble for the Astros as Duran does possess some talent.

The Astros have designated 31-year old righty Brandon Backe for assignment. Backe pitched in 5 games (1 start) this season for the Astros and he was 0-0 with a 10.38 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP. In parts of six seasons with the Astros, Backe has pitched in 108 games (79 starts) in which he is 30-28 with a 5.16 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. With the state of the Astros’ pitching staff they must be really convinced that Backe can’t help them in order to get rid of him.