This post was a bit more difficult when I started writing it a couple days ago. But then we had this pop up…..Astros Release Ben Gamel, Jalen Beeks – MLB Trade Rumors …..and then this popped up this morning…..Jon Singleton cut from Astros’ roster in latest round of moves.
So, did you catch that?
- Jon Singleton, who seemingly had a chance to make the roster because Christian Walker is still not back from his oblique injury is gone. This points to Zach Dezenzo starting the season with his first base mitt.
- Ben Gamel, who seemingly had a good shot as a known outfield commodity and a left handed bat to boot is out.
- Jalen Beeks, who had pitched OK since getting picked up is gone, but they are announcing that Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu and Tayler Scott will be joined by lefty Bryan King (pitched well in 2024 and this spring), lefty Steven Okert (very good this spring), righty Luis Contreras (excellent in the spring) and righty Rafael Montero (pitching up and down this spring – but owed a boatload of money).
Letting Singleton and Gamel go, opens a couple spots on the 40 man roster, which could be used for Cam Smith and who?
Let’s try to piece together what the parts of the roster could look like.
Positional Players – we assume a 13/13 split between Positional and Pitchers
No Brainers (9)
- DH – Yordan Alvarez
- C – Yainer Diaz
- 1B – Christian Walker (but he may start on the IL)
- 2B – Mauricio Dubon – However, I think he will be starting all over the field
- SS – Jeremy Pena
- 3B – Isaac Paredes
- LF – Jose Altuve
- CF – Jake Meyers (Hey if you have Altuve in LF and Potentially Cam Smith in RF – you better have a greyhound in center).
- Backup C – Victor Caratini
Taking some grey matter and guessing (4)
- RF – Cam Smith – Yes, I think they will give him a shot coming out of spring training
- Backup OF – Chas McCormick – insurance in case Cam has to be sent down or Jose gets sent back to 2B
- Backup IF and maybe a little OF – Zach Dezenzo – he’s been on fire in ST.
- Backup – Brendan Rodgers – He has experience, a good glove and has been OK hitting this spring or ….. Cooper Hummell – who has been quite good this spring and playing in the IF and OF. I’m going to lean towards Rodgers here.
If Walker starts the season on the IL – they may both make the roster until Walker returns.
Luis Guillome after a good spring might have a shot here too.
Starting Pitching (5)
Looks simple….until guys come off the IL. Lance McCullers come on down.
Bullpen (7) – We ran the seven sure things at the top of the post – Hader, Abreu, Scott, Okert, King, Contreras and Montero.
Which leaves us with potentially one pitching spot open.
That spot could be:
- Kaleb Ort – who pitched very well in 2024, but was injured in ST and is just coming back
- Forrest Whitley – who pitched well this spring but was injured and is just getting back
- Someone else – perhaps Ryan Gusto who was quite good for them this spring
This is a spot that could disappear when McCullers comes back (maybe) early in the season, but getting your foot in the door allows one to make a case for themselves at a position where injuries and performance takes out many candidates.
One thing to remember is that the Astros have a lot of off-days early in the season – seven by the time they reach May 1, so they can easily live with a 5-man rotation during that time frame.
In the end, this has been the first spring in a long time where it felt like we could get 24 or 25 of the roster spots correct in a guessing game. Hopefully, this team will rise to the occasion and Cam Smith becomes the next Alvarez-Diaz-Pena as a contributing youngster on the roster. Or if he needs seasoning…maybe Dezenzo picks up the mantle.
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
20 responses to “How is the Astros’ 26-man roster shaping up?”
Singleton and Gamel were expendable because although he bats from the right, Dezenzo has historically hit well against rightys.
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Does everyone remember when Jason Smith had a great spring and made the MLB team and then was let go by May? That’s how I feel about Hummell. I think Brown has us backed into a corner with this Altuve in LF experiment though. I’d probably keep Rodgers at 2B as he’s a better hitter and defender (in my view) than Dubon. That puts Smith at either CC or Sugarland. Regardless, we could easily see Espada writing the names Altuve, Dubon, Dezenzo as a starting outfield multiple times…which has to give the pitching staff ulcers.
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Dan, my guess is that the roster the Astros break camp with will be completely different than the one at the end of April.
They’ve obviously been hoping that Singleton would recapture his once-upon-a-time great PROSPECT status and suddenly become a late (ahem) blooomer. It was time to move on…a while back.
As much as I’d like to see Smith break camp and follow Bagwell and Altuve with the jump from AA, I’m not sure that’s going to happen, especially if Espada isn’t going to write his name on the lineup card every day.
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I know Dezenzo has played 3rd, 1st and the corner outfield spots, Has he any experience at 2nd base?
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No. Has like 2 innings at 2B in his entire professional life.
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He played over 100 games at Ohio State at SS. I’m sure he could play 2B, but given his frame and added muscle I don’t think it would be under any normal game circumstances.
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A few notes –
Bowden is reporting that the Astros have committed to Cam Smith as the opening day RFer. I guess the slow start scares Dana more than the 16 days and another year. Or maybe he thinks he is so special that he is winning RoY and getting that service time anyway.
He also reported that Guillorme has been told he isn’t making the opening day roster. With Singleton and Guillorme either on their way to Sugar Land or opting to become FAs its more apparent that Dezenzo and Smith are here to stay.
I think Rodgers is a mistake, but its likely he opens in some sort of shared PT with Dubon at 2B. Stuck a finger in one hole (LF) and created another (2B). Personally, the Astros would be better if Paredes moved to 2B and Dezenzo went to 3B, but I get their defensive concerns in that alignment. But Zach Dezenzo is a much better option to hit 8th than Dubon or Rodgers.
Maybe that Jake/Chas bromance is about to get tested, because they will probably split some time out in CF and if one starts hitting and the other continues not to hit….. I’ll go on record and say neither will hit and both will probably be out of Houston in 2026.
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Some responses/thoughts:
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The big challenge for this club initially will be that there are too many guys without a clear position. So even though some guys play or have played multiple positions, the defense will be suspect. Altuve and Alvarez are liabilities wherever you play them. Dezenzo and Smith have had very little exposure to first base or the outfield and neither guy has high marks at third. I’m still thinking Smith gets some time in the minors unless Walker starts on the shelf. That might help. Paredes will play third, where he’s the only serviceable option besides Dubon, and third is not one of Frenchie’s better positions. There will be days when we miss Bregman.
I also agree with Chip in that the roster will be a work in progress.
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The big challenge for this club initially will be that there are too many guys without a clear position. So even though some guys play or have played multiple positions, the defense will be suspect. Altuve and Alvarez are liabilities wherever you play them. Dezenzo and Smith have had very little exposure to first base or the outfield and neither guy has high marks at third. I’m still thinking Smith gets some time in the minors unless Walker starts on the shelf. That might help. Paredes will play third, where he’s the only serviceable option besides Dubon, and third is not one of Frenchie’s better positions. There will be days when we miss Bregman.
I also agree with Chip in that the roster will be a work in progress.
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I have to agree with you twice daveb about too many guys having no set position. It feels like the difference between which positions players “can” play vs. which positions players “should” play.
But I think we will have to let things shake out and see how this musical chairs works itself out.
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Joe has a much tougher job this year and I would suspect higher expectations of him.
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Looks like the Opening Day line up is playing tonight.
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Just realized I wrote “In the end, this has been the first spring in a long time where it felt like we could get 24 or 25 of the roster spots correct in a guessing game.”
I meant to write that “….we could NOT get 24 or 25 of the roster spots correct…” this time around.
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You’ll be right on one of those observations.
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Oh and Logan Van Wey might have a shot at that last reliever spot – especially if Whitley and Ort start the season on the IL
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Ryan “Mucho” Gusto gets the last spot (until LMJ is back)
Houston Astros: Ryan Gusto takes final spot in bullpen
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That’s great. He’ll get a chance to throw in multiple inning situations. I sure hope he’s effective. We need pitching depth.
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Well, Dan you’re right: The Astros made it official with Cam Smith. Pretty cool announcement too that he made the roster! He joins some elite company in skipping AAA (e.g. Bagwell, Altuve). If he can come anywhere close to their careers, we may look back differently on the Tucker trade in a few years.
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Chip, I think he’s got a long career ahead of him. Only 5 games of AA ball and 134 total minor league PA’s though. That is a very small sample size. I would have preferred to see him start the season in Sugar Land. But Chas gave Cam an opening and he took advantage of it. I hope he sticks now. It would be a big boost for the club.
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