Presidents Day Sale! 6 Months For 99¢Get our best offer on digital access. One Week Only |
Five early Astros observations from spring training
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hello, Astros fans. Welcome to spring training and another season. Last year saw Houston miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. For a franchise with October standards, was that an aberration or an inflection point? The next eight-plus months hold the answer.
February is permeated by possibility. The Astros convened their full roster today, Monday, for their first full-squad spring workout. The pitching staff is flush with offseason acquisitions. The outfield is light on major-league experience. The infield is … complicated.
Trade rumors swirled around Houston's infield surplus all offseason. That group is now in camp, in full, with more starters than there appear spots to use them. And Dana Brown's declaration Friday that the team is "not done yet" underscored the reality that a trade could still be coming.
The clock to Opening Day is ticking. Camps are open. Here are five observations from the first week of the Astros' (mostly pitchers and catchers) workouts in West Palm Beach:
The infield logjam is real — and a looming issue
To recap: Isaac Paredes has no clear position with Carlos Correa at third base, Jeremy Peña at shortstop, Jose Altuve the primary second baseman and Christian Walker returning at first base.
Astros officials have struck the stance that Paredes can move around — playing some first, third or even second base and at DH — and there are enough at-bats to spread around. It is also instructive, however, to consider comments from the players involved.
Altuve said he aims to play 150-plus games this season. Peña stated his desire to play all 162. Walker, perhaps the top candidate to cede at-bats to Paredes, said "my goal is to be on the field every single day."
Paredes, asked if he is open to less playing time, said through an interpreter: "We'll see what happens, there's still like a month left." Correa openly acknowledged the potential for more roster moves.
"We have a lot of people that potentially could be used later on for trades and all that," Correa said. "I'm not a GM, but I know that only four infielders can play at a time. So you've got to make some moves, put some people in the outfield, you've got to have depth also in case somebody gets hurt …"
Brown, the GM, also knows only four infielders can play at a time. How the Astros resolve their surplus is the biggest question as camp begins. The current situation is, at best, tenuous.
Yordan Alvarez is fully healthy
Giving Paredes, or another infielder, significant starts at designated hitter could be one answer — except manager Joe Espada has said Yordan Alvarez will get a "majority" of his starts at DH this season.
A desire to keep Alvarez healthy is sound. He is the Astros' most dangerous hitter. Yet Alvarez does not seem opposed to playing left field. Asked about plans to mostly DH him, Alvarez was pointedly vague.
"I don't have any say about that," Alvarez said through an interpreter Sunday. "I'm just getting ready to do my job and focus on doing my job out there."
Would the Astros use Alvarez more in left field? It could open the DH spot for others — and help define their outfield. Alvarez noted that his injuries have not occurred on defense, a valid point.
For now, Alvarez said the left ankle he injured stepping on home plate last September is pain-free, and he looks forward to putting a "difficult" injury-marred 2025 behind him. The Astros would welcome it.
Josh Hader is behind schedule
Hader, the six-time All-Star closer, said a bout of "biceps inflammation" kept him from throwing for about 10 days entering camp. He has resumed playing catch but not throwing off a mound.
Hader deemed the issue "a little setback" and "nothing too concerning for me." That is encouraging, but the timing creates some question of whether Hader can be available for opening day.
The Astros and Hader are entering season three of a five-year, $95 million deal. Hader had never been on the major-league IL for an injury until last August, when he was sidelined by a shoulder capsule sprain.
Hader said he believes his biceps issue is unrelated to that shoulder injury but acknowledged he's "taking it week by week" with the latter, suggesting Houston could begin the season without its closer.
César Salazar is the backup catcher — for now
Though Brown said all offseason the Astros would seek a backup catcher to replace Victor Caratini, they convened camp with starter Yainer Diaz and Salazar as the only catchers on their 40-man roster.
That does not preclude Houston from adding a more experienced backup before opening day, especially as team officials have publicly refrained from giving Salazar the title.
"We feel like Sally is good enough to be our backup catcher," Brown said last week. "But if we can get better in that area, we'll get better."
Salazar has played in 36 major-league games and is out of minor-league options. Espada said the backup role is "his job to lose," but that could change if the Astros bring in a more established candidate.
Tatsuya Imai and the Astros are learning together
New this spring, a whiteboard next to the entrance to the Astros' spring clubhouse features a "word of the day" translated in four languages — English, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin.
The latter two reflect Houston's offseason additions of Tatsuya Imai, the Japanese starter signed in free agency, and Kai-Wei Teng, the right-hander from Taiwan acquired via trade.
Imai, ideally, projects as the Astros' No. 2 or 3 starter. His first bullpen session in camp drew a crowd of Astros players and staff, reinforcing that he is both central and something of an unknown this spring.
"We're just trying to get to know him and make ourselves available for him," Espada said. "But so far it's been smooth."
Mailbag
Q: Correa at 3rd makes no sense to me. Paredes should be at 3rd, and I think Walker will get many hits this year. If anyone should go, I think it's Correa. — Tlou
Q: Before they trade Paredes for nothing, why not keep him and rotate pieces until the trade deadline where you can get more? — Louie
A: The Astros' infield situation is a result of their trading for Correa last summer, after Paredes suffered a hamstring injury. That said, Correa, signed through at least 2028, is going nowhere. Houston committed to making Correa its third baseman when it took on the remainder of his contract, minus the $33 million the Twins included in the deal, and has touted the importance of his leadership and clubhouse presence.
Correa also slashed .290/.355/430 in 51 games with Houston last year, so he was not unproductive. The issue is simply the Astros leaving no place for Paredes, who posted a 123 OPS-plus in 102 games around his injury.
The scenario Louie describes is not out of the question. Houston will not trade Paredes "for nothing" and if the team keeps him, then suffers an infield injury with Paredes ready to step in, it will look prescient. If the full infield is healthy, though, it will be difficult to allot playing time for everyone, as described above. Veterans could be displaced or displeased. Houston's dilemma is whether to accept that risk.
Reminder: Inside Pitch sends out a biweekly mailbag to subscribers during the season. Sign up to receive the newsletter here. And submit any Astros questions you have via the Houston Chronicle website, by email to matt.kawahara@houstonchronicle.com, or on X/Twitter to @matthewkawahara.
 | Matt Kawahara, Astros Beat Writer |
Quote of the Week
|
Top stories we're watching...
- From left field to an overcrowded infield to filling out the rotation, the Astros have a lot to figure out in spring training.
- Coming off an unusual 2025, Jose Altuve was back at a familiar spot and ready to put in a more consistent season.
- The Astros' third baseman will not play in the WBC despite an offer from global music superstar Bad Bunny to assist in procuring insurance.
- Less than two years after an emotional departure from Houston, Joey Loperfido had different feelings after being repatriated in a trade back to the Astros.
- The Astros had 11 players make debuts in 2025. A look at some prospects who could vie for a roster spot or to make an impression in camp.
Recommended Reading
|
|
Unsubscribe | Manage Preferences
Houston Chronicle
4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027
© 2026 Hearst Newspapers, LLC
