Dominguez, Part of Carlos Lee Deal, Gets Quick Call-Up

Matt Dominguez last played in the Majors late last year with the Marlins. He was a September call-up.

Now, after the Astros traded Carlos Lee for him and Rob Rasmussen, the Astros are immediately promoting Dominguez to their Major League roster.

According to Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Spots, Dominguez will going Houston’s Major League club today. There’s been no word on whether he will start or not, but he’ll be on the 25-man roster. Dominguez is a career .252/.321/.410 hitter in the minors (548 games). He’s hit 65 career minor league home runs, but never more than 18 in a single season. It seems, though, the Astros love Dominguez for his defense.

Baseball America ranked Dominguez the best defensive infielder in the Marlins system in 2008, 2009, and 2010. He was called up in 2011, but BA still rated him the best defensive third baseman in the Pacific Coast League. In November of 2011, BA ranked Dominguez the fourth-best prospect in the Marlins system.

The Astros are in the midst of a complete overhaul. The only player on the roster that seems truly untouchable is Jose Altuve. The team can build around him, and perhaps giving Dominguez an early shot will help that rebuilding process. 27-year old Chris Johnson is number one on the depth chart at third for the Astros right now, but Dominguez will get time. Houston has no reason not to play him, even if he is not immediately successful.

The Astros will be moving to the American League West next season and are currently fighting through their final season in the National League. They are 32-50, 13.5 games back. They’ve been outscored by 65 runs this year.

For more on the Astros, be sure to check out Climbing Tal’s Hill.