Postseason baseball isn’t the time to experiment if you’re one of the teams lucky enough to make the Postseason. Still, it’s often the time for teams to try unconventional strategies to give themselves the best chance to win and advance. As the White Sox gear up for their Postseason opener against Houston, the Astros are planning to try something a bit unconventional for their roster that will certainly affect the White Sox.
The Astros are considering carrying IF Raynel Delgado on their Wild Card Series roster to give them infield some coverage so Alvarez could play left field and Altuve be the DH.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 28, 2026
Included on Houston’s Wild Card roster is 26-year-old infielder Raynel Delgado. The journeyman was originally selected by Cleveland in the sixth round of the 2018 draft and has bounced between a few organizations in the years since. After Houston acquired him from the Rays for cash back in June, Delgado was promoted for his big league debut. In 20 games for the Astros, he slashed .243/.300/.351 with a .651 OPS. Delgado posted just modest numbers throughout his minor league career and has become known more for his defensive versatility than his bat, and that versatility is exactly why he’s landed a spot on the Astros roster.
Astros defense could be a key area for White Sox to exploit in Wild Card series
If likely AL MVP Yordan Alvarez has one drawback, it’s that he’s mostly limited to DH at this stage in his career. He’s not the most athletic guy out there, but his bat can do damage in many different ways. Alvarez played just 25 of his 159 games in the field this season, with all of them coming in left field. Adding Delgado to the roster gives Houston the flexibility to use Alvarez in the outfield and allow Jose Altuve to DH. It wouldn’t be their best defensive lineup in the outfield, but Altuve has been one of the worst defenders in baseball at second base this season.
This decision is not reflected in Houston’s game 1 lineup, which features Alvarez at DH and Altuve at 2B, but it gives them options for later in the series. The White Sox will certainly be keeping an eye on the Astros defensive alignment for the series. Houston ranked 23rd in baseball in Defensive Runs Saved in 2026, so it’s been an area of weakness at times this season. It makes putting the ball in play extra important for White Sox hitters.
The White Sox have released their lineup ahead of Tuesday’s game, and their full roster will certainly create an interesting plan with the pitching staff. They went just 2-5 against Houston in the regular season, but get a clean slate this week. We’ll have you covered for every White Sox Postseason game right here at Southside Showdown. Let the fun begin.
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