The Houston Astros added pitching prospect Miguel Ullola to their 40-man roster Tuesday, protecting the right-hander from Rule 5 draft eligibility next month.

Ramón Urías, the utility infielder acquired by the Astros at this year’s trade deadline, was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Ullola on the 40-man roster.

As part of Houston’s infield surplus this winter, Urías was a candidate to be traded or possibly non-tendered prior to Friday’s deadline for teams to tender contract offers to arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration players. Urías, 31, was projected to make $4.4 million in arbitration by MLB Trade Rumors, and the Astros are poised to return super-utilityman Mauricio Dubón, who can play infield and outfield.

Houston acquired Urías and cash from the Orioles in exchange for minor-league pitcher Twine Palmer at this year’s deadline, but its subsequent trade for Carlos Correa limited opportunities for Urías in the second half. Urías, a 2022 Gold Glove winner, posted a .223/.267/.372 slash line across 101 plate appearances for the Astros and started just 23 games with them, mostly at second base.

The Astros will have seven days after the DFA of Urías to trade him or place him on waivers. Urías, who spent his first five-plus major-league seasons with Baltimore, owns a career 104 OPS-plus with experience at third base, second and shortstop.

After the move with Urías, Houston still has 13 players who are arbitration-eligible this winter, including Dubón, who is projected to receive $5.8 million by MLB Trade Rumors. The Astros also have a logjam at the infield corners with Correa and Christian Walker under contract at third and first base, respectively, and Isaac Paredes under contract following his productive 2025 season.

Ullola, the 23-year-old right-hander ranked as the Astros’ top pitching prospect by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, was a virtual lock to be added before Tuesday’s deadline to protect Rule 5 draft-eligible players by adding them to the 40-man roster.

Signed in 2021 from the Dominican Republic, Ullola has averaged 12 strikeouts-per-nine innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average in parts of five minor-league seasons. Ullola spent all of 2025 at Triple-A Sugar Land, posting a 3.88 ERA in 113⅔ innings with 131 strikeouts and a .186 opponents’ average.

Houston is set to return Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier and Spencer Arrighetti in its rotation next season but has acknowledged that adding starting pitching its top offseason priority. Ullola could enter spring as rotation depth with a path toward potentially contributing at the major-league level in 2026.

Among the Rule 5 eligible players the Astros did not protect were pitchers Alimber Santa and Jose Fleury. Santa, who was selected to this year’s All-Star Futures Game, posted a 2.31 ERA in 46 relief appearances between Double- and Triple-A. Fleury had a 4.55 ERA in 23 outings, including 19 starts, across those two levels this season.

Prospects are generally eligible for the Rule 5 draft after four professional seasons if they were drafted or signed their first contract at age 19 or older, and after five seasons if drafted or signed at 18 or younger. This year’s Rule 5 draft will take place Dec. 10 at the winter meetings in Orlando. Tuesday’s moves left the Astros with a full 40-man roster.