(SportsRadio 610) — With the deadline approaching to protect eligible minor league players, the Astros added four players to their 40-man roster Friday.
The Astros have added infielders Jeremy Peña and Joe Perez; left-handed pitcher Jonathan Bermudez; and right-handed pitcher Shawn Dubin to their 40-man roster.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Astros outrighted two players —left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel, who was claimed by Philadelphia, and infielder Freudis Nova, who went unclaimed and has been assigned to Triple A Sugar Land.
The deadline to protect eligible minor league players from the 2021 Rule 5 Draft is Friday at 5 p.m. CT.
Peña, 24, ranked by MLB.com as the Astros No. 4 prospect, hit .297 with five doubles, three triples, 10 homers, 21 RBI and a .942 OPS in 37 games in the Astros minor league system this season. Peña, who is a shortstop by trade and is widely considered a possible replacement for losing Carlos Correa in free agency, missed the first three months of the 2021 season after undergoing left wrist surgery in April.
He returned to action in August and was eventually promoted to Sugar Land on Aug. 28. In his last 30 games of the season with the Skeeters, Peña hit all 10 of his home runs, while slugging .598.
Peña spent the entire postseason on the Astros Taxi Squad after the minor league season was complete. He's now playing in the Dominican Winter League and is hitting .290 (9-for-31) with three doubles and a homer in seven games for the Estrellas. Peña was originally a third round pick by the Astros in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Perez, 22, had a breakout 2021 season, combining to hit .291 with 34 doubles, 18 homers, 61 RBI and an .849 OPS in 106 games in the Astros minor league system. He topped out at Double A Corpus Christi, where he hit .267 with 19 doubles, eight homers and 27 RBI in 69 games for the Hooks. Originally a second round pick by the Astros in the 2017 MLB Draft, Perez checks in as the Astros No. 9 prospect per MLB.com.
Bermudez, 26, was the Astros 2021 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after combining for a 3.24 ERA in 25 games (20 starts) between the Triple A and Double A levels this season. He combined to strike out 146 hitters in 111.0 innings for a 11.8 strikeouts-per-9.0 ratio, good for second-best in the Astros minor league system.
After starting his season at Double A, he finished his season strong with the Skeeters, going 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in seven games (five starts). Bermudez was originally a 23rd round pick by the Astros in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Dubin, 26, spent his entire 2021 season at Triple A, going 4-3 with a save and a 3.44 ERA in 16 games (eight starts) for the Skeeters. He struck out 69 hitters in 49.2 innings and allowed just a .201 opponent batting average on the season.
Currently ranked as the Astros No. 11 prospect by MLB.com, Dubin was originally a 13th round pick by the Astros in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Nova, 21, spent his entire season at Class A Asheville, appearing in 73 games for the Tourists. He'll remain with the Astros organization for his sixth year in 2022 after originally being signed by the club as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in July of 2016.
Emanuel, 29, debuted for the Astros this season, going 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA (5ER/17.2IP) in 10 relief appearances. He had his season cut short due to injury and ended up undergoing an internal bracing surgical procedure on his left elbow on June 3.
The Astros' roster is now full with 40 players.