In what has to be considered an absolutely shocking move, the defending World Series champion Houston Astros have demoted closer Ken Giles to Triple-A while calling up young arm Cionel Perez.
The Astros have optioned RHP Ken Giles to Triple A Fresno and have recalled LHP Cionel Pérez from Double A Corpus Christi.
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 11, 2018
A core members of last year’s championship squad, the 27-year-old Giles has struggled a ton this season. He pitched to a 4.99 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP prior to being sent down to Fresno.
Now that Giles is in the minors, fellow veteran Hector Rondon will take over closer duties on a full-time basis. He’s pitching to a stellar 1.62 ERA and has seven saves on the season.
It also remains to be seen what Houston has planned for Perez. He’s being called up directly from Double-A. The 22-year-old Cuban has been dominating in the minors this season. Prior to getting the call, he boasted a 6-1 record with a 2.37 ERA and 83 strikeouts over 68.1 innings.
The starter entered this season as Houston’s sixth-best prospect. He joins top overall prospect Kyle Tucker in the bigs.