J.J.

Matijevic

Matijevic passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment last week by the Astros. The 27-year-old outfielder got into 32 contests last year for Houston and will likely stick around as organizational depth.

Notable is that the Astros trimmed both Matijevic and Bligh Madris from the 40-man rather than put José Altuve on the 60-day IL to open up a spot. Matijevic, 27, made his major league debut last year, hitting .207 with two homers in 71 PA. He’s been a very reliable Triple-A bat, but there’s a good chance he’ll clear waivers.

The 27-year-old utilityman hit .243 (9-for-37) with one homer and seven RBI in Grapefruit League action this spring. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster. He’ll bide his time at Triple-A Sugar Land until he’s called upon by the big league club once more.

Matijevic is 4-for-8 with a homer this spring. There’s a chance he could beat out David Hensley for a spot on Houston’s bench this spring, but it seems unlikely. The 27-year-old made his major league debut for the Astros last season, hitting .209/.254/.328 in 71 PA.

Matijevic, 26, has batted just .209/.254/.328 through his first 32 major league games this year.

Mancini will get a breather after making 12 consecutive starts for the Astros. It’ll be J.J. Matijevic slotting in at designated hitter and Yordan Alvarez taking over in left field on Tuesday evening. That’s a strange sentence to read out loud, folks.

Matijevic provides the Astros with some extra outfield depth following Jake Meyers’s demotion to the minors. The 26-year-old has hit .200/.254/.345 with two homers and one steal in 59 plate appearances over 27 games this season in the majors.

He’ll be the corresponding move for Jake Meyers, who has already been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. Matijevic had a .600 OPS with a couple homers over 27 games during his time with the big club this season.

With Mauricio Dubón and Yordan Álvarez missing time, the Astros called on infielder David Hensley from Triple-A as a defensive replacement. Matijevic was hitting .200/.254/.345 across 59 plate appearances for the Astros.

Matijevic will take the place of the injured Aledmys Díaz (groin) on the Astros active roster. The 26-year-old has hit just .189/.246/.340 with two homers, four RBI and a stolen base in 57 plate appearances with the Astros this season.