The Astros are claiming right-hander off waivers from the White Sox, per . The righty was designated for a signment by the Sox a week ago. Houston has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move. Cronin, 26, made his major league debut with the Sox last year, allowing 11 earned runs in 11 innings. He spent most of the year in Triple-A, where his results were naturally better, posting a Dave Dravecky Jersey 3.83 earned run average in 51 2/3 innings at that level. He only struck out 18.7% of batters faced but kept 54.5% of balls in play on the ground. That ability to get worm burners has been a trademark of his, getting more than half of batted balls into the dirt at every stop of his career. He lost his roster spot when the Sox needed to make room for their signing of and will now join the Astros. Houston has been trying to bolster its bullpen after , and got to free agency. However, general manager Dana Brown has repeatedly talked about a lack of available funds and the club is right around the competitive balance tax line. pegs their CBT number at $237.4MM, just barely above the $237MM base threshold. Cronin will give them some depth on the cheap, as hes still at least a couple of years away from reaching arbitration. He also still has all three option years remaining, which could allow the club to keep him in the minors until he earns his way into a major league role. San Diego Padres Jersey