
Four Express Players Headed to Houston
Published on August 31, 2010 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros announced today that the club will recall outfielder/first baseman Brian Bogusevic, infielder Matt Downs, right-handed pitcher Henry Villar and left-handed pitcher Wesley Wright. The club will also purchase the contract of catcher Brian Esposito. Bogusevic, Downs, Esposito and Wright will join the club from Triple A Round Rock, while Villar will be recalled from Double A Corpus Christi. All players will report to the club tomorrow. The announcement was made by General Manager Ed Wade.
Bogusevic, 26, hit .278 (139x500) with 13 home runs, 26 doubles and 57 RBI in 130 games for Triple A Round Rock in 2010. He also posted 23 steals in 24 attempts, while compiling a .365 on-base percentage. The 2010 campaign is only Bogusevic's second full season as a position player after being drafted by Houston in the first round of the June 2005 draft as a pitcher. He spent three-plus seasons on the mound before transitioning to the field in July of 2008.
Downs, 26, was recently claimed off waivers by Houston from San Francisco on August 22. He appeared in 29 games for the Giants this season, primarily as a second baseman, hitting .244 (19x78) with one home run and seven RBI. In three minor league stops this season with Round Rock, Triple A Fresno and the Rookie Arizona League Giants, Downs has combined to hit .244 (54x221) with seven homers and 32 RBI. He has spent parts of two Major League seasons with San Francisco (2009-10), posting a .214 average, and owns a career .298 (484x1623) minor league average since being drafted in 2006.
Esposito, 31, becomes the third catcher on the Astros roster after hitting .205 (40x195) with two homers and 18 RBI in 58 games with Round Rock and Corpus Christi this season. He is a veteran of 11 professional seasons, during which he's spent time with six Major League organizations. Esposito has appeared in one Major League game in his career, playing 1.0 inning for the Cardinals in 2007. He's spent his last two seasons in the Astros organization after signing on as a minor league free agent in November of 2008.
Villar, 23, owns a 4-7 record and a 4.15 ERA (47ER/102IP) in 36 games, 11 starts, this season with Corpus Christi. In his 25 relief appearances with the Hooks, Villar posted a 3.14 ERA (15ER/43IP) with five saves and a .199 opponent batting average. He has been in the Astros system since signing as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in July of 2005.
Wright, 25, will be making his third appearance on the Astros 25-man roster this season. He has made 10 appearances, including four starts, overall for Houston in 2010, posting a 1-2 record and a 6.28 ERA (20ER/28.2IP). In 15 games, including 14 starts, for Round Rock, Wright has gone 4-1 with a 4.65 ERA (36ER/69.2IP). Wright has pitched for the Astros in parts of the last three seasons (2008-10) since being selected by Houston in the Major League Rule V Draft in 2007.
Bogusevic and Villar will be making their Major League debut's on an active roster.
To make room for Esposito on the Astros 40-man roster, the club will transfer right-handed pitcher Brian Moehler from the 15-day Disabled List to the 60-day DL. The club's 40-man roster will remain full at 40.
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