Astros sign outfielder to minor league contract

On Wednesday, the Houston Astros signed outfielder Trenton Brooks to a minor league contract. While the team did not officially confirm the transaction, Brooks appeared in tonight’s lineup for the Triple-A Sugar Land affiliate.

The 30-year-old, Alpine, California native returns to affiliated baseball after starting 2026 in the KBO League. He inked a one-year deal with the Kiwoom Heroes on December 16, 2025, but slumped to a .217/.286/.259 line with 16 RBI and one stolen base across 41 contests. With KBO clubs limited on foreign-born roster spots, Kiwoom released him on May 18 to bring in Keston Hiura.

Brooks represents another low-risk gamble on a left-handed-hitting outfielder for Houston. The team gave LaMonte Wade Jr. a major league contract last week, but a hamstring strain quickly landed him on the injured list, prompting Joey Loperfido’s return to the majors. CJ Alexander and Zach Cole currently occupy lefty-swinging outfield spots in Sugar Land.

Originally a 17th-round selection by the Cleveland Indians, 512th overall in the 2016 draft out of the University of Nevada, Reno, Brooks owns 37 games of big league experience. He debuted with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, hitting .120/.241/.120 over 12 games, then appeared in 25 contests for the San Diego Padres in 2025, batting .146/.186/.268. His only career homer came June 17, 2025, off the Lps Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Sauer. Overall, he has hit .136 with 19 strikeouts in 72 major league plate appearances.

His Triple-A resume tells a different story: a career .279/.382/.472 slash line with nearly identical walk and strikeout rates over 2,000 plate appearances. His best stretches include a .299/.405/.529 showing with 16 homers for Las Vegas in 2023 and a .311/.411/.590 line with 14 home runs and 54 RBI for El Paso in 2025. If that minor league production carries over, Brooks could provide the Astros with valuable depth.

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