PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JULY 19: Nelson Velzquez #38 of the St Louis Cardinals gets ready in the on deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 19, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesThe Houston Texans announced they have claimed OF Nelson Velazquez off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. To clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster, they have designated UT Shay Whitcomb for assignment. Velazquez, 27, is a right-handed hitting outfielder with experience at all three outfield spots. He was batting .216 with a .289 OBP and .722 OPS for the Cardinals, albeit in only 74 AB. He posted 4 doubles, 4 HR and 12 RBI. In his time at Triple-A Memphis, he batted .232 with a .344 OBP and .764 OPS. For his career at the MLB level, Velazquez has hit .213 with a .287 OBP and .719 OPS with 35 HR and 99 RBI in 626 AB. Whitcomb, 27, has never been given any kind of a real opportunity with the Astros. Whitcomb only has 96 MLB AB across 57 games spanning 3 different seasons in Houston. This season at Triple-A Sugar Land, he is batting .274 with a .338 OBP and .758 OPS. He has 9 HR and 52 RBI, he has also stolen 23 bases in 25 attempts. Whitcombs lack of opportunity at the MLB has negatively impacted his numbers, as he has less than double the number of AB as he does games played, indicating he is often only getting 1 AB in a game late. This year for the Astros he was only 3 for 23, but with 2 HR and 5 RBI, across 17 games. Whitcombs lack of opportunity in both being called up and in getting playing time clearly demonstrated he was not a part of the teams vision. The fact he was not recalled while Zach Dezenzo struggled so badly reiterated that fact.