The Astros have designated 24-year old righty reliever/starter Henry Villar for assignment. Villar pitched in 42 games (7 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 4-5 with 2 saves, a 5.45 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He did pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Astros in 2010 and he was 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. The Astros needed Villar’s roster spot for Fernando Martinez.

UPDATE: (1/23/2012) - Henry Villar has cleared waivers and he has accepted an outright assignment to AAA.

The Houston Astros have claimed 23-year old lefty swinging outfielder Fernando Martinez off waivers from the Mets. Martinez played in 11 games for the Mets last year and he was 5 for 22 (.227 avg, .715 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. He also played in 63 games in AAA-ball last year for the Mets and he was 58 for 223 (.260 avg, .746 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 8 homers and 30 RBIs. Martinez has now played in 47 games in parts of three years in the majors and he is 24 of 131 (.183 avg, .540 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 12 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Martinez is a bright prospect and the Astros have to be ecstatic to get him for absolutely nothing from the Mets. Look for Martinez to compete for the starting LF job next spring for the Astros.