Astros acquire Dominguez, Rasmussen from Miami

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Houston Astros have acquired infielder Matt Dominguez and left-handed pitcher Rob Rasmussen from the Miami Marlins in exchange for first baseman Carlos Lee. Dominguez will report to the Astros Major League club tomorrow in Pittsburgh, while Rasmussen will report to Double A Corpus Christi. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow.

“Carlos has been an important part of our team and our community in Houston for almost six seasons and he will be missed,” said Luhnow. “We made this move with an eye towards the future, and are very excited about adding Dominguez and Rasmussen to our talent base. Both players have a bright future.”

Dominguez, 22, was hitting .234 (67x286) with 14 doubles, seven home runs and 46 RBI with Triple A New Orleans this season. He has struck out only 31 times, while recorded 23 walks, in 78 games as the Zephyrs everyday third baseman. Originally a first-round pick (12th overall) by Miami in the June 2007 Draft, Dominguez entered this season ranked as the Marlins’ No. 4 prospect by Baseball America. He played his 2011 season ranked as the club’s top prospect. The right-handed hitting Dominguez has appeared in 17 Major League games in his career, all coming as a September callup for the Marlins last season.

Rasmussen, 23, has posted a 4-7 record and a 3.90 ERA (38ER/87.2IP) in 16 starts for Class A Jupiter this year. He was just promoted to Double A Jacksonville, but did not make an appearance with the club before the trade. The 2012 season is only Rasmussen’s third as a professional, after being selected by the Marlins in the second round of the June 2010 Draft out of UCLA. He entered this season ranked as the Marlins No. 7 prospect by Baseball America.

Lee, 36, was hitting .287 (74x258) with five home runs and 29 RBI in 66 games with the Astros in 2012. This season was his sixth and final year of a six-year free agent contract that he signed with the club on Nov. 24, 2006. He played in 815 games as an Astro with a .286 (894x3121) average, 133 home runs and 533 RBI.

The Astros 40-man roster remains full at 40.