Carlos

Corporan

Corporan, who turns 28 in January, batted .188/.253/.253 with zero homers, 11 RBI and a 49/10 K/BB ratio over 173 plate appearances with the Astros this season. He came become a free agent.

The deal also carries an invitation to spring training, but Corporan is a longshot to land an Opening Day roster spot. The 27-year-old hit just .188/.253/.253 with zero homers and 11 RBI in 173 plate appearances this year.

Corporan spent around a month with the Astros earlier this summer, batting .275 with three homers and a .792 OPS in 51 at-bats. He’ll function as a third catcher down the stretch.

Corporan has batting .273/.339/.422 with five homers over 51 games for Oklahoma City this season. He’s starting Sunday but will be Chris Snyder’s back while Jason Castro is out.

Corporan did a nice job filling in with Jason Castro on the shelf, posting an OPS near .800 in limited duty. The 28-year-old backstop should be back when rosters expand in September.

Corporan got the Astros on the board with an RBI single in the fifth inning, then pulled them to within 3-2 with a solo shot off Francisco Rodriguez in the eighth, setting the stage for a dramatic walkoff victory. Corporan has done a tremendous job in limited at-bats, hitting .298 with three homers and nine RBI in 47 at-bats, and could be worth a look as a second catcher in deeper mixed leagues if he starts to earn more playing time.

The Astros got to Max Scherzer to avoid the sweep in Detroit. Corporan has three homers, all of which have come since April 29. As desperate as the Astros are for offense, they may start having Corporan and Jason Castro play together more frequently, with one serving as the DH. That makes Corporan worth using in two-catcher AL-only leagues.

It was no easy assignment, as Corporan took Justin Verlander and Al Alburquerque deep. He has his average up to .370 in 27 at-bats for the spring. However, the Astros’ starting catcher, Jason Castro, has been even hotter, suggesting that Corporan isn’t going to be earning himself any more playing time with his performance.

The Yankees were coming off a four-game sweep of the Jays, while the Astros were the victims of a four-game sweep in Boston. So, of course this one was a blowout in Houston’s favor. Corporan, the backup catcher to Jason Castro, entered with one RBI in seven games this season. His previous career high for RBI was three, accomplished on Sept. 10, 2011 against the Nationals.

Castro sprained his right knee on Sept. 2 and had it drained when an MRI revealed a cyst. He gutted it out on Friday and Saturday, but hasn’t played since. “We just want to make sure that this is not something that’s going to linger into the offseason,” said manager Bo Porter, “so we’re taking all precautions.” Cody Clark and Carlos Corporan figure to share at-bats until Castro returns.