ANAHEIM -- The Astros purchased the contract of right-hander Dayan Diaz from Triple-A Fresno early Friday, and he joined the club prior the series opener against the Angels. Right-hander Michael Feliz was placed on the family medical emergency list and is expected to rejoin the club in time for Tuesday's series opener against the Braves in Houston.
"We're thinking about Michael Feliz now as he's had to step away from our team now for a few days," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "It's a very private matter. I won't go into it any further than that. He would like some privacy while he tends to a personal matter. Hopefully he comes back at the beginning of next week. To have Diaz come up to be the callup is exactly what Triple-A's for, to have some strength so when things like this happen we have an alternative."
Diaz, whose previous Major League experience covered six appearances last year for the Reds, appeared in nine games at Triple-A Fresno and allowed 10 hits, three runs, three walks and struck out 15 batters in 12 1/3 innings for a 1.05 WHIP.
"He's a power reliever that has a really good fastball, pretty good breaking ball," Hinch said. "He hasn't had a ton of exposure in the big leagues, but does have an attack mentality. I see him in the middle innings. We're pretty rested. Our bullpen is tough to crack. I would say somewhere in the middle, but I won't be afraid to use him because the type of stuff he has."
Diaz, a Colombian who pitched in the World Baseball Classic this year, was originally signed by the Astros in 2005 and spent seven years in the organization before being re-signed in February.