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Trammell is off to a 4-for-8 start as he tries to win back a spot on Houston’s roster. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster after two weeks after signing a major league deal worth $900,000 in November. Unless it’s decided that Cam Smith or Zach Cole needs more time in the minors, then there’s probably one spot on Houston’s roster for Joey Loperfido, Zach Dezenzo, Shay Whitcomb or Trammell.

He struck out two. Five months after he last faced hitters in game action, Brown averaged 96.6 mph with his fastball and 95.9 mph with his sinker today, both matching his 2025 averages exactly. It’s really kind of amazing when you think about it.

The Astros had Jason Alexander and J.P. France work in front of Teng today, but Teng outshone them, essentially retiring seven straight while having to pitch around a Jeremy Peña error. There’s not going to be room for any of those three in Houston’s rotation unless someone gets hurt, but Teng is the most interesting of the bunch.

Cole’s three balls in play were hit 105.8, 101.7 and 101.4 mph with xBAs of .890, .650 and .300, but it did him no good in this one. Especially with Jesús Sánchez gone, Cole has a great chance to start against righties for the Astros. We worry about the strikeouts, but the speed and power could give him some value in deeper leagues.

Winkler, 27, did his damage off of Cardinals’ right-hander Kyle Leahy in the second inning — crushing a 1-0 fastball for a 397-foot (106.5 mph EV) solo shot. With a strong showing in Grapefruit League play, Winkley could push for a utility spot on the Astros’ Opening Day roster, though he’s likely fighting an uphill battle.

Burrows peppered the strike zone in his Astros’ debut, throwing 19 of his 24 pitches for strikes. The only hit against him came on a soft infield single off the bat of Jordan Walker with two outs in the first inning while his two punch outs came courtesy of Victor Scott II and Blaze Jordan. It’s obviously just one start against a Cardinals’ team that was missing many of its regulars, but it was a very strong first impression for Burrows.

The announcement doesn’t come as a surprise, as the 28-year-old shortstop spent the majority of his time there and excelled during the 2025 campaign. How the rest of the Astros’ starting lineup shakes out remains to be seen. Pena was the leadoff hitter in 96 of his 125 games played in 2025, and hit .317/.372/.501 from the leadoff spot.

Leandro Pineda caught Whitcomb’s sixth-inning fly to left that otherwise would have gotten just over the wall. The 27-year-old Whitcomb has hit 85 homers and stolen 62 bases in the high minors over the last three years, but he’s collected just 78 major league plate appearances to date and hit .178/.231/.260. Things don’t seem likely to get any better for him in Houston this year, though an Isaac Paredes trade would crack the door open for him at least a little.

What that actually means for Hader’s availability to start the regular season remains to be seen. The 31-year-old southpaw is dealing with inflammation in his biceps tendon after finishing the 2025 campaign on the injured list with a left shoulder strain. Until he’s back up on a mound and facing live hitters, it’s difficult to project any sort of timeline for his absence. Bryan Abreu will open the season in the closer’s role if Hader starts the year on the IL.

Alexander, 29, has seen brief major league action the last two years, going 4-for-25 for the Royals and A’s. He spent time in Triple-A for the A’s, Yankees and Dodgers last year, hitting .254/.335/.448 with 15 homers in 466 plate appearances. He doesn’t seem like a threat to make the Astros out of spring training.