Astros DFA Tony Kemp to Make Way for Carlos Correa's Return
By Adam Weinrib
The Houston Astros have now been forced to confront their overload of useful players with the return of superstar Carlos Correa from his rib injury.
Shortly after the recently-DFA'd Tyler White was shipped out of town, spark plug Tony Kemp became the latest roster casualty, DFA'd in favor of Correa.
The Astros will designate Tony Kemp for assignment when they activate Carlos Correa tomorrow, sources tell The Athletic.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) July 25, 2019
But, as we all know, DFA'd doesn't mean straight-up cut; the likelihood is now that Kemp will become some portion of a trade package, likely for an additional starter for the stretch run.
Tony Kemp, DFA’d by the #Astros per @jakemkaplan, could be part of any package HOU puts together for a starting pitcher.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 25, 2019
Able to be plugged in to any hole around the diamond, and featuring surprising pop for someone of his stature (that he could deploy when necessary), the 27-year-old Kemp hit just .227 with seven homers this season, and has been trending downward lately.
Mike Minor, available from directly within the division, seems like an ideal rotation fit for Houston, and Kemp feels like a fair supplementary piece in such a deal.