Right-hander Chris Devenski once played a key role in the Houston Astros bullpen in their 2017 championship season. Now, his career seems to be hanging by a thread after the New York Mets announced they had designated the 35-year-old for assignment.
Devenski has pitched in 11 MLB seasons. Most of his success has come with the Astros, especially early in his career. He has a 4.05 ERA and 25.0% strikeout rate across 424.1 innings.
In 2026, Devenski has appeared for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Mets. With six appearances for New York, he allowed eight runs in 5.1 innings.
Chris Devenski’s Tenure with the Astros
Chris Devenski was originally a 25th-round pick by the Chicago White Sox in the 2011 MLB Draft. The Astros later acquired him from Chicago a year later for starting pitcher Brett Myers.
The right-hander debuted for Houston in 2016. He played a big swingman role for them in 2016-17. Across those two seasons, he pitched to a 2.38 ERA across 189 innings. Devenski was named to his only All-Star team in 2017.
In the postseason, he pitched to a 9.00 ERA. He picked up three holds and one blown save. Devenski appeared in five of the seven games in the 2017 World Series. He allowed four runs across five innings, with three of his outings going scoreless.
The Astros eventually won over the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, securing their first-ever championship in their second appearance.
However, he’s failed to repeat the success from 2016-2017. In his subsequent three seasons with the Astros, he has a 4.88 ERA in 115 innings. He was outrighted to the minor leagues, and he left in free agency after rejecting the assignment.
Chris Devenski’s Career Since Leaving the Astros
Chris Devenski has bounced around the league since leaving the Astros. He has stops with the Diamondbacks, Phillies, Angels, Rays, Mets, and Pirates.
Since that 2017 All-Star season, Devenski has a 5.36 ERA in 235.1 innings. With that long a track record and a lack of success, the right-hander faces the decision of continuing his career.
Devenski entered the 2026 season with seven years and 157 days of service time. He likely crossed the eighth-year threshold during the season.
It’s possible he tries to hold on long enough to reach 10 years of service to get fully vested benefits from the MLBPA. It will take at least two seasons for him to reach that service time milestone.
Ex-Astros World Champion Reliever Cut By Current Team After 6 Games