HOUSTON, TX – The Astros claimed infielder Rylan Bannon off waivers from the Chicago Cubs today. Bannon, 26, has been added to the Astros 40-man roster, which now is at 37.
Bannon spent the majority of the 2022 season in the minor leagues, but did have brief stints in the Major Leagues with both the Orioles and Braves. He began the season in the Orioles organization, where he appeared in 78 games at Triple A Norfolk, hitting .229 (63x275) with 14 doubles, 11 home runs and 58 RBI with 45 walks (.347 OBP/407 SLG/.754 OPS). While with the Orioles organization, he appeared in four games (all starts) with the Major League club (2x14, .143). He collected his first career Major League hit (single) in his first career MLB game on May 12 at St. Louis.
On August 8, Bannon was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers and then shortly thereafter was claimed by the Braves on August 16. The Braves assigned him to Triple A Gwinnett, where he hit .328 (22x67) in 21 games with four doubles, two home runs, 19 RBI and four steals in four attempts (.928 OPS). On September 18, Bannon was called up to the Majors, where he appeared in one game as a defensive replacement before being sent back to Triple A. On November 18, he was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs. Bannon has played in 480 games in his minor league career, with 290 starts at third base, 123 starts at second base and 23 starts at DH.
After earning Big East Player of the Year honors while at Xavier University in 2017, Bannon was selected by the Dodgers in the eighth round of the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft. In July of 2018, Bannon was traded to the Orioles as part of a six-player deal that included third baseman Manny Machado.