Max Stassi was part of the deal that brought Chris Carter to Houston in February 2013. Coincidentally, the night Carter said good-bye to the Astros almost three years later could prove to be the same night Stassi fully arrived.
The Astros’ decision to trade 2015 back-up catcher Hank Conger to the Rays on Wednesday night left Stassi as the only in-house backstop behind Jason Castro with major league experience, with 21 games over three seasons. (Evan Gattis’ catching days appear over outside of emergency situations.)
Carter, who was non-tendered Wednesday night, and Conger were both arbitration-eligible.
The 24-year-old Stassi — who has a compact, thick build, plus a perpetual smile — has never had a real shot in the big leagues.