The Houston Astros have traded infielder Grae Kessinger to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitching prospect Matthew Linskey. Astros General Manager Dana Brown announced on Wednesday.
Linskey appeared in 22 games across three levels in the Diamondbacks minor league system during the 2024 season. The 22-year-old went 1-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched. Linskey also recorded 51 strikeouts and held opponents to a .180 batting average. He spent most of last season with Class A Visalia (13 games), topping out with Class A Hillsboro (6g). The Humble, Texas native was drafted out of Rice University in the 16th round of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft.
The Astros designated Kessinger for assignment on Dec. 23.
Kessinger played 23 games for the Astros during the 2024 season and 49 career games in his two big league seasons. In 70 at-bats for the Astros, he batted .131 with one home run and two doubles. Kessinger also struck out 19 times while being walked eight times.
The 27-year-old Kessinger was a second-round pick by the Astros in the 2019 MLB Draft. He played college baseball for the Ole Miss Rebels. Kessinger hit .300 with 8 home runs and 37 RBIs during his breakout sophomore season and then improved to hitting .330 with seven home runs and 50 RBIs as a junior and earned All-Southeastern Conference First-Team honors.