Brett Wallace clears waivers, will remain in Astros' organization

Houston Astros third baseman Brett Wallace has cleared outright waivers and will remain in the Astros' organization after being designated for assignment by the team last week, according to a baseball source. Wallace will go to Astros' big-league camp as a non-roster invite, and will have the opportunity to win a spot on the team's major league roster during spring training.

Wallace, 27, hit .221 with 13 HR and 36 RBI for Houston last year in his fourth major league season. He will likely try to make it back to the majors with a strong spring training performance, and will be re-added to the team's 40-man roster if he earns a major league spot.

For his four-year major league career, Wallace is a lifetime .242 hitter with 29 HR and 102 RBI in 311 games. The former top prospect was traded three times in just over a year in 2009 and 2010, heading from the Cardinals to the A's as part of a package for Matt Holliday, the A's to the Blue Jays for Michael Taylor, and the Jays to the Astros for Anthony Gose.