Final Astros Roster Projection of Spring Training

One final look at who will be on the Opening Day Roster on March 26.

As the Houston Astros prepare for their final two exhibition games of spring with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, we take on final look at projecting the Opening Day Roster.

Starting Pitching:

The Astros announced they would begin the season with a 5-man rotation. They have also previously stated their intention to keep SP Tatsuya Imai on his traditional NPB schedule of pitching every sixth day in his first season in MLB. The Astros have 2 off days before they begin a stretch of 13 games in a row on April 10.

Imai in the 4 spot allows the team to keep his scheduled starts outside of a normal MLB rotation schedule before they need to add a sixth starter.

The team announced earlier today that SP Spencer Arrighetti had been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land, indicating he will be the 6th starter. Having Arrighetti pitch in Sugar Land the first few weeks of the season allows the team to continue building his stamina, getting him closer to being able to throw 90-100 pitches and getting him on schedule for when they intend to have him pitch once that 13 straight game stretch April 10 starts.

The Bullpen:

I have Munoz making the roster over Kai-Wei Teng because Munoz was a Rule V pick and they have to keep him on the active roster all year or offer him back to the team they selected him from (Reds) and Teng still has options.

This gives the Astros a chance to continue to look at Munoz before ultimately making a decision on him that can cause them to lose him entirely. Munoz struggled his last two appearances after a strong run, and I think the Astros want more time to look at him, so I think he will get some run as a low leverage reliever.

Christian Roa has been tremendous in spring and has earned a look in the pen to start the season, when the Astros are going to have a full 8-man pen and while Josh Hader and Bennett Sousa are on the IL. In 9.2 IP, Roa allowed one run (a solo HR) on a total of 5 hits and struck out 13 without walking a batter (he did hit 2 batters). Every team loves pen guys who don’t hand out free passes.

Teng loses out partly because he has options and partly because of the wildness he displayed in spring (6 walks in 10.2 IP). Demoting Teng lets the Astros continue to fine tune a pitcher that has the kind of stuff they like. I wouldn’t expect Teng would be down long.

If for some reason Enyel De Los Santos is deemed not to be ready for Opening Day, Teng would take that spot. De Los Santos has guaranteed money, so he will be in the pen if he’s up to speed.

Starting Lineup:

Jeremy Pena continues to make progress and if there is not risk of re-injury to his finger, I think it’s plausible he’s starting the season on the Opening Day roster. If he starts on IL, he will have to miss the first 10 games, and if the Astros think he will only need a day or two, I don’t think he gets IL’ed.

Games that Pena cannot play, Carlos Correa will play SS and Isaac Paredes will move to 3B, with Yordan Alvarez likely in the DH spot and one of the younger OFs in left.

The team will look to find ways to get Paredes in the lineup as much as they can, as they really like his offensive profile. Walker needs to be productive or he could find himself losing playing time, as it’s clear team prefers Paredes bat to Walker’s.

They won’t just bench Walker (unless disaster strikes) but they will ensure Paredes plays.

I can see Cam Smith leapfrogging Yainer Diaz in the lineup as well if Cam starts hot and Yainer struggles.

Bench Roles:

Backup catcher: Christian Vazquez.

The Astros didn’t sign Vazquez to stash him in the minors. I also don’t believe Vazquez would have signed if he expected to be in the minors.

Astros made it clear they have heavy reservation about Cesar Salazar being able to hit enough at the MLB level. They wanted the experience and leadership of Vazquez.

Backup SS/IF – Nick Allen.

The Astros got Allen because of his tremendous glove. Allen can play top level defensive shortstop and second base. He would be a long term play in case of significant injury. He will also see time as a late inning defensive replacement.

Backup OF: Joey Loperfido.

This presumes that Yordan Alvarez is going to see more time in LF than the Astros are letting on, and I believe it is reasonable to expect Alvarez to at least play LF twice a week on average. That number could rise depending on how the team figures out getting Paredes ABs, which is a priority for them.

Loperfido had a tremendous spring and can play all three OF spots well defensively. He’s also a left-handed bat, which the team sorely needs to help balance the lineup.

Final Bench Spot: Brice Matthews.

Matthews has shown he can play more than just 2B. Like Cam Smith a year ago, his tremendous speed and athleticism has seen him take to the OF with relative ease.

While he has had minimal time in LF, it does seem the Astros are fine with playing him there (they did play Altuve there last year after all).

Matthews has performed well offensively at Triple-A Sugar Land (.260 AG, .371 OBP, .830 OPS 17 HR 41 SB in 419 AB at AAA in 2025) and while his bat may not be fully ready for MLB just yet, his speed on the bases and extra base potential as well as his positional flexibility will earn him a look early in the season.

Zach Cole’s propensity for striking out really burned his chances of starting the season with the big league club. He hits the ball very hard, generates terrific exit velos, but the swing-and-miss is highly concerning and he can clearly do with more ABs at Triple-A (Cole only has 51 career AB at AAA). Cole will be back once he gets his swing right.

Matthews can act as the RH side of a platoon with Loperfido in the early part of the season, which should see the Astros face at least 4 LH starters early. His basestealing ability can also make him a late inning weapon on the basepaths.

I am interested to see if Matthews can get any run in CF is Meyers is poor at the plate. Meyers hit .152 with a .389 OPS in spring, while Matthews hit .250 with a .400 OBP and .817 OPS as well as 8 SB. Matthews has far more upside than Meyers offensively, much more power, and his speed translates on the bases much better.

I think it is likely that the Astros continue to work on finding a taker for Meyers so they can make Matthews the new CF before the trade deadline. Matthews has the chance to be a dynamic player with league leading SB totals. Cole getting his swing right at AAA would also encourage the Astros to find a taker for Meyers.

While Meyers is a terrific defensive player, his offensive limitations are significant and he is highly likely to regress closer to his norms this season at the plate.

Final Astros Roster Projection of Spring Training

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