The Astros are acquiring an outfielder Taylor Trammell of the Yankees, according to a report from Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The return to the Bronx has not yet been announced.

Trammell, 27, was selected 35th overall by the Reds in the 2016 draft and wasn’t considered a top-100-caliber prospect until 2021. At that point, he had been part of multiple trades on his way from the Reds to the Padres. in the three-team deal that shipped Yasiel Puig to Cleveland before eventually being shipped from San Diego to Seattle as part of the seven-player deal that resulted Austin Nola to the Padres. Although he was traded several times before reaching the Triple-A level, Trammell fared quite well in his first taste of the level with the Mariners affiliate in Tacoma and earned a call-up to the major leagues during the 2021 season.

Unfortunately, that call did not go well. Trammell hit just .160/.256/.359 with a 73 wRC+ in 178 trips to the plate in 51 games during his first season in the Majors. Although he had considerable power with eight home runs during that time, he struck out at a completely unsustainable 42.1% clip, making him a mediocre option in the outfield, where he could play center but not a particularly strong defender was. Results would improve somewhat over the next two years as Trammell drove the shuttle between Tacoma and Seattle. In 173 at-bats at the big league level over those two seasons, he slashed an improved .176/.285/.378, which was just 6% worse than average on a wRC+ basis, thanks to an excellent 12.7% walk rate combined with his impressive power.

That said, Trammell still struck out over 30% of the time in the majors, even as he tore up the Triple-A level with a .268/.381/.500 slash line during his time at this level. . Trammell also gradually became less of a viable option in center with just two innings of work at the position in 2023, putting even more pressure on his bat to perform. This led the Mariners to designate him for assignment in March instead of keeping him on the Opening Day roster. Trammell was promptly picked off waivers by the Dodgers when he was a veteran outfielder Jason Heyward was dealing with a back injury, but played in only five games before being designated for assignment in mid-April.

That move led the Yankees to claim Trammell from the Dodgers, though he similarly played just five games in the New York big leagues before being DFA for the third time in just over a month. This time the move stuck and Trammell cleared waivers, allowing the Yankees to send him straight to the minors. Once at Triple-A, Trammell hit quite well with a .256/.381/.488 slash line in 106 games. Now, Trammell is back on the road and will begin the 2024-2025 offseason with the Astros. For Houston, the 27-year-old should provide additional outfield depth behind the right-hander Chas McCormick And Jake Meyers and could compete for a job on the club’s bench during Spring Training next year.