HOUSTON (AP) -One day after acquiring Ty Wigginton in a trade with Tampa Bay, the Houston Astros designated struggling third baseman Morgan Ensberg for assignment on Sunday.
Houston also recalled left-hander Mark McLemore on Sunday to fill the roster spot vacated when reliever Dan Wheeler was sent to the Devil Rays in Saturday’s trade.
The 31-year-old Ensberg was hitting .232 with eight homers and 31 RBIs in 85 games. That was far off the pace from his All-Star season in 2005, when he hit .283 with 36 homers and 101 RBIs and helped Houston reach its only World Series.
Ensberg was never the same after tearing a tendon in his right shoulder diving for a foul ball on June 9, 2006. He spent a month on the disabled list, then came back in August and finished the season with a career-low .235 average and only 58 RBIs.
Houston is responsible for the remainder of Ensberg’s $4.35 million salary this season.
The 29-year-old Wigginton was in the starting lineup for the Astros for Sunday’s game against San Diego. Wigginton was hitting .275 with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs in 98 games for Tampa Bay this season.
McLemore made his major league debut on May 24, pitching a scoreless inning against Arizona. He was sent back to Triple-A Round Rock on July 13, when closer Brad Lidge came off the disabled list.
Houston manager Phil Garner said Chad Qualls will take over Wheeler’s role as the late-inning setup man.
Wheeler was 1-4 with a 5.07 ERA this season. The previous three seasons, Wheeler had a 2.41 ERA with 146 strikeouts in 159 innings.
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