Astros sign – Houston has added outfielder Trenton Brooks on a minor league deal, with the 30-year-old already appearing for the Triple-A Sugar Land club. The move brings a former KBO player back into affiliated baseball and adds another low-risk option for the Astros’ left
On Wednesday, the Houston Astros moved quietly but decisively in their search for affordable depth. Trenton Brooks. an outfielder signed to a minor league contract. appeared in the lineup for the Triple-A Sugar Land affiliate the same night the deal was reported. even as the organization did not officially confirm the transaction.
Brooks is 30 years old and a native of Alpine. California. and he’s back in affiliated baseball after beginning 2026 in the KBO League. He signed a one-year deal with the Kiwoom Heroes on December 16. 2025. but his time in South Korea didn’t last as planned. Over 41 contests, he slumped to a .217/.286/.259 line with 16 RBI and one stolen base. With KBO clubs limited on foreign-born roster spots, Kiwoom released him on May 18 to make room for Keston Hiura.
For Houston, the Brooks addition fits a familiar pattern: taking a low-risk look at a left-handed-hitting outfielder. The timing arrives after another recent try at major league depth—LaMonte Wade Jr. was given a major league contract last week—but a hamstring strain quickly sent him to the injured list. That setback opened the door for Joey Loperfido’s return to the majors. In Sugar Land. CJ Alexander and Zach Cole currently hold the lefty-swinging outfield roles. and Brooks’ presence gives the organization another potential option if production is needed.
Brooks is no stranger to the majors, either. Originally a 17th-round selection by the Cleveland Indians—512th overall in the 2016 draft out of the University of Nevada. Reno—he has 37 games of big league experience. His major league debut came with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, when he hit .120/.241/.120 over 12 games. He then appeared in 25 contests for the San Diego Padres in 2025, batting .146/.186/.268. His lone career home run came on June 17, 2025, off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Sauer. Across 72 major league plate appearances, he has hit .136 with 19 strikeouts.
Triple-A has told a different story. In 2,000 plate appearances in his minor league career, Brooks owns a .279/.382/.472 slash line, with nearly identical walk and strikeout rates. His best stretches include a .299/.405/.529 line with 16 homers for Las Vegas in 2023. and a .311/.411/.590 showing with 14 home runs and 54 RBI for El Paso in 2025. If that kind of minor league output translates to this level of competition again. Brooks could become useful depth rather than just another name on a roster.
The Astros’ roster decisions have been driven by need—Wade’s hamstring injury and the subsequent recall of Joey Loperfido have already forced movement. Now Houston is adding Brooks into the Triple-A mix, where he can chase the form that made him productive in the first place.
Houston Astros Trenton Brooks Sugar Land Triple-A minor league contract KBO League Kiwoom Heroes LaMonte Wade Jr Joey Loperfido CJ Alexander Zach Cole