HOUSTON — Chas McCormick, whose sprawling catch at Citizens Bank Park helped secure the second World Series title in Astros history, was one of five players put on outright waivers by the team on Tuesday, a league source told The Athletic.
Minor-league outfielders Pedro León and Kenedy Corona joined McCormick on waivers, alongside injured pitchers John Rooney and Luis Garcia. Garcia and Rooney both underwent elbow surgery in September and are not expected to pitch next season.
Teams have until Thursday to activate players from the 60-day injured list, which forced Tuesday’s flurry of activity. Garcia, León and Rooney were three of eight players Houston had on the 60-day injured list. The five others will be put back on the Astros’ 40-man roster, which stood at 37 players entering Tuesday.
All five players could remain in the Astros’ organization if they pass through waivers unclaimed — though none would be on the 40-man roster. Rival teams have long had interest in McCormick, whose opposite-field offensive profile is ideal for many ballparks with short porches in right field.
MLB Trade Rumors projected McCormick to make $3.4 million this winter in salary arbitration. Coupled with his staggering decline across the past two seasons and Houston’s glut of young outfielders, Tuesday’s fate came as no surprise.
McCormick managed a .574 OPS across his past two major-league seasons while accruing minus-1.6 WAR, according to Baseball-Reference. At one point in 2024, McCormick told The Athletic that “I feel like I’ve let the team down, let the coaches down, let my teammates down.”
Tuesday’s move had to happen, but McCormick must still be viewed as a rousing success story for Houston’s scouting and player-development departments. A 21st-round pick in 2017 out of Division II Millersville University, McCormick became a mainstay in a championship-contending lineup.
McCormick started 27 playoff games and appeared in six more, endearing himself to Houston’s fanbase with a contagious attitude that even prompted fans to begin doing the “Chas Chomp” when he came to bat or ran out to his position.
His place in Astros lore will forever be intact for a leaping catch of J.T. Realmuto’s fly ball during the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2022 World Series. McCormick, a Pennsylvania native who grew up a Phillies fan, crashed into the scoreboard while making the catch before falling onto the warning track, protecting Houston’s one-run lead.
McCormick’s most consistent success came in 2023, when he slashed .273/.353/.489 and finished with a 130 OPS+ across 457 plate appearances.
McCormick’s lack of everyday playing time that season, which four sources said was due to former manager Dusty Baker’s concern about McCormick’s weight, caused friction within Houston’s clubhouse. Baker refuted the claims by acknowledging he frequently brought McCormick banana pudding as a treat.
Like McCormick, Garcia had playoff prowess. He pitched Houston to the 2021 American League pennant with 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox during the Astros’ clinching win in Game 6 of the ALCS. Garcia, who underwent his second Tommy John surgery in September, also threw five scoreless innings in the Astros’ epic 1-0, 18-inning win against the Seattle Mariners in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS.
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