Roster Moves

First things first, Astros infielder Jason Smith was designated for assignment earlier today (last night?). His replacement will be Round Rock's Edwin Maysonet. At 27, Maysonet is old for a prospect, but he's a good defensive player and has been hitting well in a part-time role this season. Maysonet was 25 for 78 this season with 15 walks, 12 runs scored, 5 RBIs, seven doubles and 13 strikeouts. His Runs Created per 27 Outs was second highest on the team next to J.R. Towles. He doesn't have much pop, but could definitely spell Matsui at second and even Tejada at short.

There haven't been any minor league roster moves to replace Maysonet just yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if Drew Meyer gets the call to move up from Corpus Christi and maybe Craig Corrado moves up from Lancaster. There is also the possibility that no one will move up at all and that Round Rock utility man Matt Kata will take over at second base. Still, with Eli Iorg moving onto the 7-day DL again this week, the possibility that they make some move seems high.

UPDATE: One roster move I missed earlier was that Taiwanese righthander Chia-Jen Lo was called up to Corpus Christi, but was immediately placed on the 7-day DL before appearing in a game.

I'll be back later today with a more in-depth notes column on the past two days.