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Isaac Paredes Isaac Paredes Out of lineup Sunday
Sun, May 17, 2026, 11:25 AM
Paredes isn't starting Sunday versus Texas.
Analysis: Paredes has been a regular at third base for the Astros, but he'll get at least a partial day off after going just 2-for-19 over his past five contests. Braden Shewmake is starting at the hot corner in Paredes' stead Sunday. |
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Jose Altuve Jose Altuve Absent from lineup Sunday
Sun, May 17, 2026, 11:05 AM
Altuve (side) isn't in Houston's starting lineup Sunday against Texas.
Analysis: It's not a surprise that Altuve isn't starting after he exited Saturday's matchup in the ninth inning with a left side injury. The star second baseman is slated to have an MRI taken Sunday, but GM Dana Brown said the "early signs" are that Altuve is dealing with an oblique injury, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Brice Matthews is starting at second base for the Astros on Sunday. |
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Jeremy Pena Jeremy Pena Could return Monday
Sun, May 17, 2026, 9:32 AM
Pena (hamstring/neck) could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday's game at Minnesota, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: The 28-year-old shortstop resumed his rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday after neck soreness forced him to miss a couple games earlier in the week, and he could rejoin the Astros on Monday for the start of a 10-game road trip. Pena, who has been on the IL for a month due to a hamstring strain, has gone 2-for-11 with two doubles in three contests during the rehab stint. |
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Bryan Abreu Bryan Abreu Collects second save of 2026
Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:16 PM
Abreu earned the save in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Rangers, allowing one hit and one walk over 1.1 scoreless frames.
Analysis: Both Bryan King and Enyel De Los Santos were deployed earlier in Saturday's game, so Abreu was tasked with closing things out for the Astros. He was called in for the eighth with two runners on base but got Justin Foscue to fly out to end the inning, and Abreu worked around two baserunners in the ninth to collect his second save of the season. King and De Los Santos figure to be Houston's preferred closer options until Josh Hader (biceps) is cleared to return from the 60-day IL, though Abreu will be in the mix for saves from time-to-time. |
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Zach Cole Zach Cole Smacks solo shot Saturday
Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:08 PM
Cole went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during the Astros' 4-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday.
Analysis: Cole was responsible for the Astros' fourth and final run, when he clubbed a solo home run off Jacob deGrom in the fourth inning. It was Cole's third homer of the season, and the 25-year-old outfielder has gone 8-for-34 (.235) with seven RBI since being recalled from Triple-A Suger Land on May 4. |
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Christian Walker Christian Walker Smacks homer off deGrom
Sat, May 16, 2026, 10:01 PM
Walker went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during the Astros' 4-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday.
Analysis: Walker extended the Astros' lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning after belting a solo homer off Jacob deGrom. It was Walker's 11th home run of the season, which is tied for eighth-most in the American League and is second on the Astros behind Yordan Alvarez (15), the latter of whom also smacked a home run in Saturday's win. Walker is slashing .266/.342/.521 with 30 RBI and 27 runs scored over 190 plate appearances this season. |
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Yordan Alvarez Yordan Alvarez Goes long against Texas
Sat, May 16, 2026, 9:58 PM
Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during the Astros' 4-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday.
Analysis: All four of the Astros' runs Saturday came from solo home runs off Jacob deGrom, with Alvarez belting his homer in the first inning. It was his second home run in three games and 15th of the season, which is tied for third-most in the American League behind Munetaka Murakami (17) and Aaron Judge (16). Alvarez is slashing .322/.429/.649 with 31 RBI, 30 runs scored and a steal across 205 plate appearances this season. |
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Kai-Wei Teng Kai-Wei Teng Tosses five scoreless frames in win
Sat, May 16, 2026, 9:56 PM
Teng (2-3) earned the win against the Rangers on Saturday, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out seven across five scoreless innings.
Analysis: Teng opened his start on a strong note by striking out each of the first two batters he faced in the first inning. He allowed at least two baserunners in three of the next four frames but managed to keep the Rangers off the board and finished his night with 11 whiffs while tossing 46 strikes on 76 pitches (60.5 percent strike rate). Teng sits at a 2.61 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 31 innings this season and is expected to be a part of the Astros' six-man rotation in the short term. He's slated to take on the Cubs in Chicago next weekend. |
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Jose Altuve Jose Altuve Exits game with side injury
Sat, May 16, 2026, 8:37 PM
Altuve was removed in the ninth inning of Saturday's game against the Rangers due to a left side injury, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Altuve was holding his left side after grounding into a double play in the eighth inning and was replaced Nick Allen at second base. The Astros should have an update on Altuve's injury once the veteran second baseman undergoes tests Sunday, per Julia Morales of Space City Home Network. Altuve went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run prior to his exit, and Allen or Shay Whitcomb would would be the top candidates to start at second base in Sunday's series finale if Altuve is unable to play. |
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Josh Hader Josh Hader Looking at five more rehab outings
Sat, May 16, 2026, 3:51 PM
Astros manager Joe Espada said Saturday that Hader (biceps) will log at least five more rehab appearances before he's activated from the 60-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Hader has so far made four rehab appearances -- two with Double-A Corpus Christi and two with Triple-A Sugar Land -- combining to allow three hits and post a 6:1 K:BB over four scoreless innings. With five more minor-league outings to go, the veteran reliever isn't expected to come off the IL when first eligible May 24, though Espada didn't clarify when Hader is slated to be back. Bryan King has been working as Houston's closer of late in Hader's stead. |
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Cam Smith Cam Smith Not starting Saturday
Sat, May 16, 2026, 2:38 PM
Smith is out of the lineup for Saturday's matchup against Texas, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Smith started 12 straight games from April 30 to May 12, but he's now sitting for the second time in Houston's past four contests. The 23-year-old outfielder has been struggling mightily of late, batting .069 (2-for-29) with no extra-base hits or RBI over his past 10 games. Zach Cole is starting in right field for the Astros on Saturday. |
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Isaac Paredes Isaac Paredes Launches solo homer
Sat, May 16, 2026, 8:13 AM
Paredes went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Rangers.
Analysis: Paredes went yard for the first time since April 26. Paredes hasn't delivered eye-popping numbers in recent weeks, but he's been productive enough to remain relevant, aided by the fact that he hits near the top of the order on a regular basis. He's hitting .265 with a .756 OPS, a homer, three RBI, two runs scored and a 6:11 BB:K in 14 games since the beginning of May. |
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Spencer Arrighetti Spencer Arrighetti Tosses 7.1 scoreless innings
Sat, May 16, 2026, 8:05 AM
Arrighetti (5-1) earned the win Friday against the Rangers after tossing 7.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and four walks while striking out five.
Analysis: Arrighetti's excellent start to the season reached a new high Friday, as he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before having it broken up by a Justin Foscue single. Arrighetti has allowed one run or zero in all but one of his six outings since making his season debut April 15, and while he should experience some kind of regression sooner or later, it's impossible to overlook what he's been doing on the mound. Across six starts, Arrighetti owns a 1.50 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 36 innings with a 35:21 K:BB. The walks are concerning, as he's issued at least four free passes in four of his six starts. |
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Bryan King Bryan King Earns fourth save of season
Sat, May 16, 2026, 7:24 AM
King recorded his fourth save of the season Friday against the Rangers after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out one.
Analysis: King recorded the final five outs of the game while tossing 11 of his 17 pitches for strikes. This was a strong bounce-back effort for King, who blew his previous save chance Wednesday against the Mariners and was coming off three straight outings in which he had allowed baserunners. King has a 3.26 ERA in 16 appearances (19.1 innings) this season while going 4-for-6 in save chances thus far in 2026. King should remain as the go-to option for saves in Houston as long as Josh Hader (biceps) remains sidelined. Hader is eligible to return from the 60-day IL on May 24, so King's tenure as the Astros' closer might not last long. |
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Jose Altuve Jose Altuve Out of lineup Friday
Fri, May 15, 2026, 3:09 PM
Altuve is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Analysis: With Altuve getting a breather against right-hander Jack Leiter, Brice Matthews will lead off and play second base for Houston. Altuve hasn't homered since April 17 and doesn't have an extra-base hit over his last six games. On the season, the 36-year-old is slashing .245/.328/.365 with three home runs, 11 RBI, 26 runs scored, one stolen base and a 19:34 BB:K across 181 trips to the dish. |
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Mike Burrows Mike Burrows Can't find groove in fifth loss
Thu, May 14, 2026, 4:16 PM
Burrows (2-5) took the loss Thursday against the Mariners, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out four.
Analysis: Burrows was never quite able to settle in Thursday, getting ambushed for three runs in the opening frame before giving up two more in both the fourth and sixth innings. The 26-year-old right-hander served up a pair of home runs for the fourth time already this year, taking a big step back after yielding just five runs in his prior three starts (18 innings) to Thursday. Burrows will bring an underwhelming 5.72 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 46:17 K:BB over 50.1 frames into his next scheduled outing versus Minnesota. |
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Kai-Wei Teng Kai-Wei Teng Part of six-man rotation
Thu, May 14, 2026, 11:56 AM
Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that Teng will be part of a six-man rotation moving forward, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Circumstances could alter things down the line, but for now Houston plans a six-man setup indefinitely. Espada said that he expects Teng -- who threw 63 pitches over three innings in a start Sunday in Cincinnati -- to be able to handle 80-to-85 pitches in Saturday's start versus the Rangers. Teng holds a 3.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB over 26 innings covering two starts and 13 relief outings this season. |
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Jeremy Pena Jeremy Pena Aiming to resume rehab Friday
Thu, May 14, 2026, 11:19 AM
Pena (hamstring/neck) hopes to resume his rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Pena has lingering neck soreness after being involved in a collision with a runner during Tuesday's game at Corpus Christi. He'll sit out a second straight game Thursday but is aiming to return to action Friday. Pena -- who initially went on the 10-day injured list just over a month ago with a right hamstring strain -- could be activated as soon as this weekend if all goes well. |
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Cody Bolton Cody Bolton Back in bullpen
Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:55 AM
Bolton struck out four and allowed two earned runs on two hits and three walks over two innings of relief Sunday in the Astros' 5-0 loss to the Reds.
Analysis: After being activated from the injured list April 30, Bolton made a one-inning relief appearance later that day before he was called upon to start three days later in the Astros' series finale in Boston. He covered just 2.1 innings in that start and then went unused for a week before the Astros turned to him this past Sunday to fill innings behind starter Kai-Wei Teng, who was chased from the game after covering the first three frames. The Astros are continuing to run a six-man rotation this week, but with Teng on track to get another start Saturday, Bolton looks like he'll stick in the bullpen. Through six appearances (three starts) on the season, Bolton has submitted a 5.27 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 18:12 K:BB over 13.2 innings. |
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Jeremy Pena Jeremy Pena Managing neck soreness
Wed, May 13, 2026, 6:37 PM
Pena (hamstring) is dealing with neck soreness following a collision with a runner during a rehab game Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Pena's neck prevented him from working as the DH in Double-A Corpus Christi's game Wednesday, but Astros manager Joe Espada didn't seem concerned about it becoming a long-term issue. The 28-year-old infielder is expected to return to minor-league action Thursday and could make his return to Houston's lineup sometime during the weekend series against Texas. |
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