The Athletics re-signed Lavastida to a minor-league contract Dec. 18. Lavastida split the 2025 season between the Astros and Athletics minor-league systems, hitting .279/.362/.438 with 10 homers in 89 games. The 27-year-old's only major-league experience came back in 2022, and he is merely organizational depth for the A's.
Lavastida was released by the Astros on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Lavastida produced a .250 average with one home run, seven RBI, 12 runs scored and five stolen bases over 80 at-bats in 24 contests with Triple-A Sugar Land, but he will now look for another opportunity elsewhere. The 26-year-old last played in the majors in 2022 with Cleveland, and he has split his time between Double-A and Triple-A over the last three seasons.
The Astros reassigned Lavastida to minor-league camp Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Lavastida is likely to be part of a catcher committee at Triple-A Sugar Land this season after he spent the entirety of the 2024 campaign with the Guardians' Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, finishing with a .232/.334/.387 slash line, eight home runs and 26 stolen bases over 345 plate appearances. The 26-year-old's lone big-league action came in 2022, when he appeared in six games for Cleveland.