Once a part of a fabled group of prospect catchers for the Texas Rangers, Max Ramirez struggled with injuries and weight problems over the past few years. After Carlos Corporan went down with a broken finger, the Astros decided to give Ramirez another chance, signing the catcher to a minor league contract.
Per Astros director of player development Fred Nelson, Ramirez will report to Oklahoma to replace Corporan.
“With Corporan being on the DL, we thought he’d be a good sign,” Nelson said. “If anything should happen in the big leagues, we want to see if he’s a candidate or not.”
Ramirez, still just 26, hit .217/.341/.348 for the Rangers last season. He has struggled in the power department since being promoted to AAA, but managed to hit .286/.373/.381 for the RedHawks last season, when they were still under Rangers control. Ramirez will likely not impact the Astros plans much either way, but it’s not like the Astros have a deep group at catcher. Not a bad depth signing considering the circumstances.