The Astros have placed 30-year old righty reliever Jeff Fulchino on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis. He has pitched in 29 games (0 starts) for the Astros this season and he is 0-0 with a 6.83 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. Fulchino has allowed 38 hits (5 homers) in only 29 innings this season as he has been pretty darn awful. The Astros have recalled 29-year old righty reliever Casey Daigle to replace Fulchino in the pen. Daigle pitched in 9 games (0 starts) earlier this season for the Astros and he was 0-1 with a 8.10 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Daigle gave up 13 hits in only 6 2/3 innings with the Astros earlier this season as he didn’t miss many bats. Fulchino or Daigle….does that really make a difference?

The Astros have recently signed 33-year old lefty swinging shortstop Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal. Vazquez has played in 4 games in AAA-ball so far this season for the Astros and he is 5 of 11 (.455 avg, 1.045 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. He has played in 39 games overall this season in AAA and he is 32 of 136 (.235 avg, .638 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer and 13 RBIs. Vazquez has played nine years in the majors and he is 496 of 1,951 (.254 avg, .678 OPS) with 244 runs scored, 22 homers, 176 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. With the Astros current situation at SS you would have to think that Vazquez will be in Houston soon if he continues to hit for them in AAA.

26-year old righty reliever Wilton Lopez has been a pleasant surprise for the Houston Astros so far this season. Lopez has pitched in 28 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this season and he is 3-0 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. His control has been flawless only walking 3 batters in 30 1/3 innings this season which has really led him to success. Lopez might have found a niche as the Astros’ new 7th inning man ahead of Brandon Lyon and Matt Lindstrom. He looks much more comfortable than last season when he worked in 8 games (2 starts) for the Astros in which he was 0-2 with a 8.38 ERA and a 2.07 WHIP.

The Astros have designated 27-year old righty starting pitcher Josh Banks for assignment. Banks started 1 game for the Astros working 4 innings in which he gave up 8 hits, walked 4 batters and he allowed 6 earned runs as he was the losing pitcher. The Astros have activated 25-year old righty starting pitched Bud Norris from the D.L. to replace Banks in the rotation. Norris has started 9 games for the Astros this season and he is 2-5 with a 6.80 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Norris has whiffed 54 batters in only 43 2/3 innings this season but that has been part of his problem. He’s throwing instead of pitching as he has allowed 51 hits while walking 26 batters this season. Norris has a nice upside as long as he starts throwing strikes.

The Astros have placed 26-year old righty starting pitcher Felipe Paulino on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Paulino has started 14 games for the Astros this year and he is 1-8 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. His control is what gets him into trouble as he has walked 43 batters in 86 innings this season. If Paulino improves his control when he gets healthy he can be a solid pitcher as he has only given up 2 homers this year among the 87 hits he has allowed. The Astros have called up 27-year old righty starting pitcher Josh Banks to replace Paulino in the starting rotation. Banks has pitched in 15 games (all starts) in AAA-ball so far this season and he is 8-5 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He pitches to contact so the Astros’ infield better be ready when he’s on the mound as he has only whiffed 34 batters this season while walking 24. Banks has pitched in 26 games (18 starts) in his three years in the majors and he is 4-7 with a 5.38 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.

The Astros have placed 27-year old righty swinging shortstop Tommy Manzella on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left index finger. Manzella has played in 59 games for the Astros so far this season and he is 40 of 189 (.212 avg, .513 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer and 16 RBIs. He has also whiffed a stunning 57 times already this season for the Astros which is a ton for a guy with no power. 25-year old righty swinging Oswaldo Navarro has been recalled to replace Manzella on the roster and he will likely get the bulk of the P.T. at SS. He played in 3 games earlier this season for the Astros in which he was 0 for 3 (.000 avg). Navarro has also played in 44 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 48 of 161 (.298 avg, .866 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 4 homers, 26 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. If Navarro plays well he might just swipe the starting job from Manzella.

The Astros have acquired 27-year old lefty swinging 1B Tommy Everidge from the Mariners for future considerations. Everidge has played in 65 games in AAA this year and he is 57 of 249 (.229 avg, .690 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 7 homers and 36 RBIs. He played in 24 games for the A’s last season which was his first taste of the majors and he was 19 of 85 (.224 avg, .667 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Who knows maybe Everidge will be the Astros’ starting 1B when they trade Lance Berkman next month.

The Astros signed 35-year old 3B Pedro Feliz over the winter to a 1-year deal to solidify the infield with his mitt and bat. After all, he played in 158 games for the Phillies in 2009 in which he was 154 of 580 (.266 avg, .694 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 12 homers and 82 RBIs. The Astros would have loved to get numbers out of Feliz like the Phillies did last season. But, he is nowhere near the player he was last year. Feliz has played in 63 games this season for the Astros and he is 50 of 226 (.221 avg, .542 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers and 22 RBIs. The Astros have recalled Chris Johnson with the idea of him replacing Feliz as the starting 3B.

The Astros have promoted Jason Castro, Chris Johnson and Jason Bourgeios from AAA. 23-year old lefty swinging catcher Jason Castro will be thrust right into the starting lineup for the Astros. Castro was the Astros’ #1 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He played in 57 games in AAA-ball this year and he was 56 of 211 (.265 avg, .720 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 4 homers and 26 RBIs. He has now played in 215 games (3 years) in his minor league career with the Astros and he is 228 of 795 (.287 avg, .788 OPS) with 106 runs scored, 16 homers and 111 RBIs. The Astros expect Castro to do a good job both behind and at the plate. 25-year old righty swinging 3B Chris Johnson was the Astros’ #16 prospect coming into this season. He played in 8 games for the Astros earlier this season and he was 5 of 22 (.227 avg, .545 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Johnson also has played in 38 games in AAA-ball this year in which he was 49 of 149 (.329 avg, .932 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 8 homers and 33 RBIs. Johnson will likely bump Pedro Feliz to the bench at 3B. 28-year old righty swinging Jason Bourgeios will likely replace Cory Sullivan as one of the Astros backup outfielders. He has played in 65 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 81 of 235 (.345 avg, .882 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 5 homers, 28 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Bourgeios has played in 30 games in his major league career (2008+2009) in which he is 8 of 40 (.200 avg, .556 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer, 3 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Bringing Castro and Johnson up with the promise of giving them a lot of playing time is a great move for the Astros who have nothing to lose by getting a look at a couple of good prospects.

The Astros have designated Kevin Cash, Casey Daigle and Cory Sullivan for assignment and they all deserved it. 32-year old righty swinging catcher Cash played in 20 games for the Astros this year and he was 11 of 54 (.204 avg, .605 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers and 4 RBIs. He proved to the Astros what all 29 other major league teams knew about him…..that he can’t hit. 29-year old righty reliever Casey Daigle has been pathetic since called up by the Astros. He pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the Astros this year and he was 0-1 with a 8.10 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. He gave up a whopping 13 hits (2 homers) in only 6 2/3 innings this season. 30-year old lefty swinging Cory Sullivan didn’t have any pop at all in his bat. He played in 57 games for the Astros this year and he is 12 of 64 (.188 avg, .492 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 4 RBIs. Let me put it to you this way about getting rid of these three guys……it’s impossible for the Astros to be worse without them.

UPDATE: (6/24/2010) - Sullivan has elected free agency while Daigle and Cash have accepted AAA assignments from the Astros. The Astros won’t miss Sullivan.