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Jose Abreu Jose Abreu Back at first base Saturday Sat, Apr 27, 2024, 4:24 PM Abreu is starting at first base and batting eighth in Saturday's contest against the Rockies in Mexico City. Analysis: Abreu has ceded the starting first base job to Jon Singleton as of late, with the former going 1-for-21 over his last seven games. Abreu will hope to turn around his poor start to the season Saturday against Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill.
Forrest Whitley Forrest Whitley Lands on minor-league IL Sat, Apr 27, 2024, 1:31 PM Whitley was placed on the minor-league injured list Saturday with right elbow discomfort, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. Analysis: Whitley made his major-league debut with the Astros on April 16, allowing one hit and one walk but no runs over two-thirds of an inning against Atlanta. He was sent back to Triple-A Sugar Land after that outing, and he has thrown two scoreless innings while striking out four over his last two appearances in the minors.
Framber Valdez Framber Valdez Taken off IL Sat, Apr 27, 2024, 1:23 PM The Astros removed Valdez (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, per the MLB transaction log. Analysis: Valdez is set to start in Sunday's game against the Rockies as part of a two-game series in Mexico City. The 30-year-old southpaw landed on the Astros' 15-day IL on April 9 due to left elbow inflammation. Valdez threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, and he will likely be on a pitch count over his first few outings.
Trey Cabbage Trey Cabbage Starting Saturday as 27th man Sat, Apr 27, 2024, 1:14 PM The Astros appointed Cabbage from Triple-A Sugar Land to be the 27th man for the two-game series against the Rockies in Mexico City, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports. Analysis: Cabbage will start in left field Saturday and bat seventh against Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill. Cabbage played 22 games in the majors last season with the Angels, slashing .208/.321/.553 with three doubles, one stolen base, one home run and seven RBI over 56 plate appearances.
J.P. France J.P. France Being optioned Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 5:30 PM The Astros are optioning France to Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of their trip to Mexico City on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. Analysis: France is being optioned to clear a spot for Framber Valdez, who will start Sunday. In France's last outing Tuesday, he took the loss while allowing five runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Cubs. The 29-year-old has now given up multiple home runs in consecutive starts. The move prompts questions about how the Astros rotation lines up going forward.
Trey Cabbage Trey Cabbage Will serve as 27th man Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 12:58 PM The Astros will add Cabbage to their roster for their upcoming series against the Rockies in Mexico City, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Analysis: The Astros are permitted to add an additional position player to their roster for their two-game series in Mexico City, so they'll bring up Cabbage to provide additional depth at first base and in the outfield. The 26-year-old has spent all season at Triple-A Sugar Land, where he's slashed .271/.440/.486 with three homers and nine RBI.
Framber Valdez Framber Valdez Starting Sunday in Mexico City Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 12:19 PM Astros manager Joe Espada said that Valdez (elbow) will return from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday's game against the Rockies in Mexico City, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. Analysis: Valdez has been on the IL since April 9 due to inflammation in his left elbow. He built up to 40 pitches in his last bullpen session Wednesday, so his first start back from the injured list will likely be an abbreviated one. In any case, his return will still give Houston's rotation a much-needed boost following the recent move of Cristian Javier (neck) to the IL. Valdez surrendered three earned runs and struck out 10 batters over 12.1 innings across his first two starts before getting injured. Given Valdez's expected workload restriction Sunday in addition to the high altitude in Mexico City likely creating a hitter-friendly environment, fantasy managers may want to hold off on immediately activating the southpaw.
Jake Meyers Jake Meyers Hits bench Thursday Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 11:52 AM Meyers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs. Analysis: Meyers had started in each of the Astros' last three games, going 1-for-8 with a solo home run. He'll get a break for Thursday's series finale in Chicago while Mauricio Dubon picks up a start in center field.
Jose Abreu Jose Abreu Hits bench again Thursday Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 11:45 AM Abreu is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs. Analysis: Abreu is on the bench for the third time in four games, with Jon Singleton getting the nod at first base in his place. It's clear at this point that Abreu's standing atop the depth chart is on thin ice, as the 37-year-old has followed up a disappointing 2023 campaign with an even more disastrous start to the 2024 season, as he's slashing .065/.132/.081 with a career-worst 25 percent strikeout rate across 68 plate appearances. First base/outfield prospect Joey Loperfido has gotten off to a hot start to the season at Triple-A Sugar Land and could soon be summoned to the big leagues if the Astros aren't confident in Abreu's ability to stage a turnaround and/or if Singleton proves to be a poor replacement for Abreu.
Framber Valdez Framber Valdez Rejoining rotation this weekend Wed, Apr 24, 2024, 5:39 PM Valdez (elbow) completed a 40-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled to pitch Saturday or Sunday against the Rockies in Mexico City, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Analysis: The left-hander landed on injured list with elbow inflammation April 9, and it appears he'll return after missing little more than the 15-day minimum. Valdez will likely face some workload limitations in his first few starts back given he's built up to only 40 pitches, but it will be a welcome return for a Houston rotation that's now also missing Cristian Javier (neck).
Chas McCormick Chas McCormick Moves to bench Wednesday Wed, Apr 24, 2024, 5:25 PM McCormick is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs. Analysis: McCormick will take a seat after he went a collective 5-for-14 with a pair of RBI, a urn and a stolen base over the past four games. Yordan Alvarez will fill in for McCormick as the Astros' starting left fielder.
Jose Abreu Jose Abreu Sits again amid slump Wed, Apr 24, 2024, 5:23 PM Abreu is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs. Analysis: Abreu is on the bench for the second time in three days after an 0-for-3 showing in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Cubs dropped his season-long slash line to .065/.132/.081 over 68 plate appearances. Though Jon Singleton will pick up another start at Abreu's expense, prospect Joey Loperfido looks to be the longer-term replacement at first base if the Astros elect to move on from the struggling Abreu at any point. An outfielder for most of his minor-league career, Loperfido has made five starts at first base for Triple-A Sugar Land so far this season and has posted a 1.028 OPS over 20 games to put himself on the radar for a promotion.
Jake Meyers Jake Meyers Blasts third homer Wed, Apr 24, 2024, 9:09 AM Meyers went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Cubs. Analysis: Meyers has had a slow start to the season and lost out on playing time in center field to Mauricio Dubon as a result. However, Meyers started his second consecutive game Tuesday, and he tallied his third home run of the season and first since April 5. Meyers has just a 19 percent strikeout rate across 47 plate appearances -- down from a career rate of 28.3 percent -- so if he can regain regular playing time there is a chance his performance at the plate can turn around.
J.P. France J.P. France Takes loss against Cubs Tue, Apr 23, 2024, 10:33 PM France (0-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out six. Analysis: France endured a nightmare first inning, yielding a two-run home run to Cody Bellinger and a three-run homer to Mike Tauchman. However, he settled in following the frame, allowing just one hit in his closing four innings while keeping Chicago off the scoreboard. France has now given up multiple home runs in back-to-back starts. Despite his struggles, France will likely make another go-around in the rotation due to the Astros lacking healthy arms, and he's projected for a start against Cleveland.
Spencer Arrighetti Spencer Arrighetti Starting Wednesday Mon, Apr 22, 2024, 2:11 PM Arrighetti will start Wednesday against the Cubs, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. Analysis: He's assuming the rotation spot vacated by Cristian Javier (neck). The Astros have a couple off days over the next week and Javier could be back shortly after that, so this might just be a spot start for Arrighetti. He was bludgeoned for seven runs over three innings in his major-league debut earlier this month but was better in his second start, holding Atlanta to two runs over four frames.
Hunter Brown Hunter Brown First-inning struggles continue Sun, Apr 21, 2024, 10:02 PM Brown (0-4) allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over four innings to take the loss Sunday against the Nationals. He struck out six. Analysis: Brown needed 34 pitches to get through the first inning, allowing three runs in the process. However, he was much better in the next three frames, facing just one more batter than the minimum, including striking out the side in the second. That's now 12 first-inning earned runs allowed by Brown through five starts this season. Despite the so-so outing, Brown saw his ERA drop from 10.54 to 9.68 and his WHIP fall from an abysmal 2.78 to a slightly less abysmal 2.49. Brown's next start is tentatively slated to take place next weekend, when the Astros travel to the high altitude of Denver to take on the Rockies.
Spencer Arrighetti Spencer Arrighetti Rejoins big club Sun, Apr 21, 2024, 11:35 AM The Astros recalled Arrighetti from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. Analysis: The right-hander was sent down to Sugar Land on Tuesday but will quickly rejoin the Astros as Cristian Javier (neck) landed on the injured list. Arrighetti could be an option to start, but Houston doesn't necessarily need to fill out its rotation immediately since it has three scheduled days off over the next nine days.
Cristian Javier Cristian Javier Moves to injured list Sun, Apr 21, 2024, 10:52 AM Javier (neck) was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. Analysis: Javier was scheduled to start Sunday in Washington but was scratched with neck discomfort, and he'll be sidelined for at least the next couple weeks. The severity of the injury is unclear, so there's no official timeline for his return from the injured list. Houston has three scheduled off days before the end of April and can get by with a four-man rotation in the short term.
Hunter Brown Hunter Brown Starting Sunday Sun, Apr 21, 2024, 10:01 AM Brown is being moved up in the rotation to start Sunday against the Nationals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. Analysis: The right-hander was penciled in to start Tuesday against the Cubs but will instead face the Nationals since Cristian Javier was scratched due to neck discomfort. Brown delivered a quality start last Tuesday versus Atlanta, so he'll be on the typical four days rest and shouldn't have any limitations.
Cristian Javier Cristian Javier Scratched with neck discomfort Sun, Apr 21, 2024, 9:45 AM Javier was scratched from Sunday's start against the Nationals due to neck discomfort, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. Analysis: It's unclear when the injury first surfaced for Javier, but he won't be able to start Sunday as scheduled. Hunter Brown will be bumped up to start the series finale in Washington. The Astros have scheduled off days Monday and Friday this week, so the team can get by with four starters until May 4 versus the Mariners, if need be.