Astros To Designate Nate Pearson For Assignment mlbtraderumors.com/2026/07/astros…
Former Blue Jay Nate Pearson DFA’d by Houston Astros
Photo credit: © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Jul 20, 2026, 15:06 EDT
Nate Pearson may be searching for a new home soon.
On Sunday, the Houston Astros announced that they designated Pearson for assignment after he appeared in 16 games with the club this season.
The Astros signed Pearson on October 20, 2025, a month after he was released by the Chicago Cubs organization. Pearson was placed on the 15-day injured list as he recovered from right elbow surgery.
Officially activated on May 19, Pearson went 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP across his 20 innings pitched. The right-hander struck out 16 and held teams to a .225 average, but walks remained an issue, highlighted by 12 in his 20 innings.
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Pearson in the first round of the 2017 MLB draft, and the now 29-year-old ended up making his debut with the club during the 2020 season. After his brief stint of five games in 2020, Pearson entered the 2021 season as the Blue Jays’ No. 1-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline.
While the right-hander never lived up to the billing of a No. 1 prospect, Pearson spent parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays. Over 93 games (five starts), Pearson went 7-4 with a 5.21 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Pearson picked up three saves and struck out 130 batters across his 115.2 innings pitched.
On July 27, 2024, days before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, the Blue Jays moved Pearson to the Cubs in exchange for Yohendrick Piñango and Josh Rivera. Pearson went on to pitch in 30 games for the Cubs over parts of 2024 and 2025 before being designated for assignment and then released.
For his career, Pearson has pitched in 139 games and has gone 10-6 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Pearson has totalled 176 strikeouts over his 176.2 career innings, and with a fastball that still averages 97.7 MPH, he could be an interesting addition for pitching-needy teams.
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