The Astros have designated 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Travis Buck for assignment. Buck played in 33 games for the Astros this year and he was 16 for 74 (.216 avg, .595 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 0 homers and 6 RBIs. He has now played in 253 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 197 for 810 (.243 avg, .715 OPS) with 99 runs scored, 20 homers, 95 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Astros hope Buck clears waivers and accepts an outright assignment to AAA, so that they can keep him around.

UPDATE: (6/28/2012) - Travis Buck has cleared waivers and he has accepted an outright assignment to AAA.

The Astros need to start finding more ABs for 28-year old righty swinging outfielder Justin Maxwell. Maxwell has played in 18 games for the Astros so far this month and he is 12 for 51 (.235 avg, .896 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 5 homers and 13 RBIs. He has now played in 61 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 28 for 120 (.233 avg, .801 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 8 homers, 24 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Maxwell does have a weakness as he has whiffed an amazing 49 times already this year, but, that is the price you have to pay to get his power.

UPDATE: (6/26/2012) - The Astros have placed Justin Maxwell on the 15-day disabled list as he is going to have ankle surgery which will keep him out of action for the next 4-6 weeks.

The Astros have signed 28-year old righty reliever Hector Ambriz to a minor league deal. Ambriz pitched in 20 games (1 start) in AAA-ball for the Indians earlier this year and he was 0-1 with 1 save, a 3.55 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. His only major league experience came back in 2010 with the Indians, and it didn’t go too well. Ambriz pitched in 34 games (0 starts) for the Indians in 2010 and he was 0-2 with a 5.59 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP.

23-year old switch-hitting 2B/3B Jimmy Paredes is ripping the ball in AAA for the Astros. He has played in 66 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 88 for 265 (.332 avg, .823 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 6 homers, 32 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. Paredes played in 46 games for the Astros last season and he was 48 for 168 (.286 avg, .713 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers, 18 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. As long as Jose Altuve and Chris Johnson keep playing well, Paredes will likely be stuck in AAA-ball.

The Astros have placed 27-year old righty starting pitcher Bud Norris on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 13th due to a sprained left knee. Norris has pitched in 13 games (all starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 5-4 with a 4.81 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. The Astros have called up 24-year old lefty starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel to replace Norris in the starting rotation. Keuchel has started 13 games in AAA-ball this year for the Astros and he is 5-4 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has now pitched in 79 games (77 starts) in his first four years in the minors and he is 24-29 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.

24-year old lefty swinging catcher Jason Castro is off to a good start with the bat so far this month for the Astros. He has played in 9 games in June so far and he is 9 for 26 (.346 avg, .819 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 3 doubles and 2 RBIs. Castro has now played in 40 games overall this year and he is 32 for 127 (.252 avg, .694 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer and 15 RBIs. The Astros are glad to see Castro starting to swing the bat better, as he is their catcher of the future.

The Astros have placed 28-year old righty reliever Wilton Lopez on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 11th due to a strained right elbow. Lopez has pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he was 3-0 with a 2.51 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. The Astros have activated 26-year old lefty reliever Fernando Abad off the D.L. to replace Lopez in the bullpen. Abad pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Astros earlier this year and he was 0-0 with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.

25-year old lefty swinging 1B Brett Wallace has come up from the minors swinging a red hot bat. Wallace has played in 8 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 10 for 26 (.385 avg, 1.215 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 4 RBIs. He has now played in 174 games in his first three years with the Astros and he is 129 for 506 (.255 avg, .705 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 9 homers, 46 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The Astros hope that Wallace keeps up the good work while Carlos Lee is out of action.

The Astros have placed 23-year old lefty swinging outfielder Fernando Martinez on the 7-day disabled list due to a concussion. Martinez has played in 4 games for the Astros this year and he is 1 for 15 (.067 avg, .200 OPS) with 0 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs. He has whiffed an amazingly awful 9 times without walking so far this year for the Astros. Martinez has now played in 51 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 25 for 146 (.171 avg, .507 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 14 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Martinez will have to pick up the pace when the Astros activate him.

The Astros have acquired 20-year old righty swinging outfielder D’Andre Toney from the Royals to complete the deal that sent outfielder Jason Bourgeios and catcher Humberto Quintero last winter. Toney has played in 43 games in Rookie-ball so far this year and he is 51 for 150 (.340 avg, 1.018 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 5 homers, 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Astros as Toney appears to have a nice upside.