The Tigers claimed reliever Josh Zeid off waivers from the Houston Astros, potentially reuniting him with his former World Baseball Classic manager from Team Israel, current Detroit skipper Brad Ausmus.

I am so excited to begin the next step of my career with the @tigers Thanks @astros fans for all your love and support but let's go tigers!
— Josh Zeid (@Josh_Zeid14) November 20, 2014

At one point last spring, Zeid was even hoping to recruit his one-time manager to join some other Jewish players on a trip to promote baseball in Israel. Ausmus was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

"He's a big figurehead for me and us," Zeid told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart in May.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated outfielder Ezequiel Carrera for assignment.

At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Zeid is a relatively hard throwing right-hander, who hits the mid-90s with his fastball (94.77 mph, according to PITCHf/x), complementing that pitch with a plus slider.

The 27-year-old pitcher was sidelined partway through his second season in the big leagues with bilateral sesamoiditis, and had to undergo a pair of surgeries six weeks apart, one on each of his feet, to fix what could’ve become a recurring issue.

Zeid had a first surgery on Aug. 6 (right foot), then another on Oct. 6 (left foot), and just got out of a walking boot yesterday.

Included in the trade that sent Hunter Pence from the Astros to the Phillies, Zeid was converted to a reliever in the Houston system, making his debut in 2013 after two seasons at Double-A. He made 48 appearances in two seasons with the Astros, faring far better the first time around, before injuries cropped up last season. After limiting lefties to a .178 average in 2013, they hit .455 off him last season. He also gave up six home runs in a little less than 21 innings of work.

Carrera hit .261 in 45 games with the Tigers last season, after joining the franchise on a minor-league deal last offseason. He struggled defensively, though, and was effectively replaced by trade acquisition Anthony Gose.