{"id":422597,"date":"2026-09-01T06:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T06:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/422597\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T06:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T06:38:08","slug":"houston-astros-nelson-velazquez-hits-big-home-run-vs-white-sox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/422597\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Astros: Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez hits big home run vs. White Sox"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30) celebrates his two-run home run in the dugout during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) reacts after connecting for a double in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) reacts after connecting for a double in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) connects for a double in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay (18) reacts after Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30) scored off of a walk at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) celebrates his single in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox left fielder Sam Antonacci (17) can\u2019t hold onto a hit by Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros pitcher Peter Lambert (38) leaves the game in the top of the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30) celebrates his two-run home run in the dugout during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30) celebrates his two-run home run in the dugout during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30) reacts after connecting for a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30) reacts after connecting for a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros catcher Christian V\u00e1zquez (2) connects for a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) celebrates after connecting for a triple against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) connects for a triple in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30)connects for a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox center fielder Tristan Peters (29) avoids getting picked off in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox trainer takes a look at Tristan Peters (29) elbow after he was hit by a pitch in the fourth against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros second basemank Nick Allen (20) gets Chicago White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery (24) in field hit to get him out at first in the fourth inning at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros second basemane Nick Allen (20) points after Houston Astros center fielder Daulton Varsho (18) catches a hit by Chicago White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth (10) during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros outfield goes after a ball hit by Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery (12) at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros pitcher Peter Lambert (38) pitches in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (3) celebrates with first base coach Dave Clark (23) his lead-off single against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (3) celebrates a lead-off single in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay (18) pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay (18) pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) connects for an advancing out in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros pitcher Peter Lambert (38) pitches in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox pitcher Jos\u00e9 Urquidy (70) is greeted by Houston Astros fans before the Astros host the White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"A<\/p>\n

A Houston Astros fan holds up a \u201ck\u201d after Houston Astros pitcher Steven Okert (48) strikes out Chicago White Sox designated hitter Randal Grichuk (34) at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros pitcher Steven Okert (48) pitches in the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox pitcher Trevor Richards (43) grabs a short hit from Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) get get Smith out at first in the seventh inning at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox pitcher Trevor Richards (43) grabs a short hit from Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) get get Smith out at first in the seventh inning at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago White Sox pitcher Trevor Richards (43) grabs a short hit from Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) get get Smith out at first in the seventh inning at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros pitcher Bennett Sousa (62) pitches in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros pitcher Bennett Sousa (62) pitches in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle\"Houston<\/p>\n

Houston Astros pitcher Enyel de Los Santos (65) reacts as he is pulled in the sixth inning against Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park in Houston on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n

A baseball season always comes with plenty of ups and downs. Nelson <\/a>Vel\u00e1zquez<\/a>\u2019s August alone included more than its fair share of downs.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment twice by two different teams, but just a week after that second team brought him right back, he delivered a huge home run in the Houston Astros’ 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox<\/a> on Monday at Daikin Park.<\/p>\n

It was Vel\u00e1zquez\u2019s first hit for the Astros\u00a0\u2014 the team that had designated him for assignment<\/a> just 11 days earlier\u00a0\u2014 in a stint that had included just 11 at-bats, entering Monday, spread over two stints in August.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFinally,\u201d he said with a smile in a celebratory Astros’ clubhouse.<\/p>\n

Vel\u00e1zquez was 0-for-12 with a sacrifice fly with his new team when he stepped to the plate with two outs and a runner on third in the fourth inning. He took a 1-1 belt-high fastball from White Sox starter Anthony Kay and blasted it 415 feet, banging it off the concrete barrier below the train tracks in left field.<\/p>\n

Cam Smith, who doubled and tripled in the win, had a good view of the towering blast from his spot, standing on third.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was pretty,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew it right off the bat. So happy for Nelly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Vel\u00e1zquez and Smith, both right-handers, teaming up for a big night is a good sign for an Astros team clinging to a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers<\/a> in the American League West.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All season, Houston has been searching for production from its outfielders not named Yordan Alvarez. The right-handed hitting outfielders\u00a0have had particularly rough seasons at the plate, combining to hit .207\u00a0\u2014 the second-worst in baseball\u00a0\u2014 with a .270 on-base percentage, which is the fourth-worst in the majors.<\/p>\n

The Astros had that thought in mind when they first claimed Vel\u00e1zquez off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals three weeks ago. However, after two weeks and just four at-bats,\u00a0Vel\u00e1zquez was designated for assignment by his new team when Jeremy Pe\u00f1a got hit on the hand by a pitch and infield depth was needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Four days later,\u00a0Vel\u00e1zquez was brought back to the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just here to play the game,\u201d Vel\u00e1zquez said. \u201cAt the end of the day, I\u2019ve got to be able to play whenever they want. I don\u2019t know what was the conversation or what was their plan, but I\u2019m still here and I\u2019m happy for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

The Astros are happy as well and will feel good about putting him\u00a0back out there in the outfield against lefty starters.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s working hard,\u201d Astros manager Joe Espada said. \u201cHe\u2019s hit some balls really hard. It\u2019s coming. I\u2019m just glad the first one that put some numbers in his batting average meant a lot to our club.\u201d<\/p>\n

As someone who\u2019s with his fourth big-league team in five seasons and just a year removed from playing in the Mexican League,\u00a0Vel\u00e1zquez is content with his minimalist spot on the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know my role is playing more against lefties and coming off the bench to face lefties, that\u2019s what they said and that\u2019s what I have to be prepared for,\u201d Vel\u00e1zquez said.<\/p>\n

Vel\u00e1zquez\u2019s night got off to an ominous start when he misplayed a line drive and committed a two-base error with a hard-hit ball glancing off his glove on a ball he said he simply misread. Peter Lambert was able to get out of the inning without allowing the run to score and\u00a0Vel\u00e1zquez made up for it with his two-run blast a few innings later.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Overcoming adversity has become part of the baseball routine for Vel\u00e1zquez.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just baseball, you can\u2019t put your head down,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to keep working every day trying to find a way. What you can do better out there when you get the opportunities? For me, it\u2019s just trusting what I\u2019m doing and taking it to the field.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Houston Astros left fielder Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez (30) celebrates his two-run home run in the dugout during the fourth…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-422597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}