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A former Houston Astros champion is finally receiving a lifeline back into the major leagues.
On Friday, the Atlanta Braves revealed that they had signed former Astros closer Ken Giles. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Giles, who could earn $1.75 million if he is promoted to the Majors, has an invitation to Spring Training despite the deal being a minor-league one.
The Astros’ go-to reliever in the ninth inning used to be 33-year-old righty Giles. In his two and a half seasons with them from 2016 to 2018, he recorded 61 saves. He also closed on Houston’s 2017 World Series squad. After that, Giles enjoyed a successful 2019 season with the Toronto Blue Jays (registering a 1.87 ERA over 53 relief appearances). However, he was sidelined for the entirety of the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery in 2020.
Despite the fact that Giles has only appeared in five MLB games overall since his operation (with the Seattle Mariners in 2022), he recently held a showcase for prospective organisations in the hopes of making a return. Giles has since overcome many of the maturity issues that dogged him in his early career and will to make the most of his shot with the contending braves.
