The Houston Astros lost two pitchers to Tommy John surgery in two days, and desperately needed to find some help. So, they turned to the San Diego Padres for a trade on Tuesday.
Minor-league pitcher Nick Hernandez was acquired by Houston in exchange for cash considerations. The trade is a coming home of sorts for the 29-year-old right-hander, who hails from the Houston area and was drafted by the Astros in the eighth round in 2016 from the University of Houston.
The Astros selected him to their major league roster on Wednesday.
Hernandez made his major league debut last season, pitching in two games for San Diego, allowing four runs in three innings. He has a 3.03 ERA in 228 minor-league appearances, all but one in relief. He has been excellent with Triple-A El Paso this season, turning in a 1.90 ERA in 17 outings. He has struck out 34 percent of the batters he's faced and walked only nine percent.
In his first stint with the Astros organization, he pitched in five minor-league seasons and spent most of 2022 with Triple-A Sugar Land before becoming a minor-league free agent after the season.
While the Astros need him with the big league club immediately, Hernandez still has a full slate of options remaining, which means the Astros would be able to move him between Houston and Sugar Land after adding him to their 26-man roster Wednesday.
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