Marc

Krauss

He came along with Bobby Borchering in the Chris Johnson deal. Krauss put up a nice .283/.416/.509 batting line with 15 homers for Double-A Mobile, but he’s 24 and was repeating the level. He profiles as a possible platoon player down the line for the Astros.

A former second-round pick, Krauss has batted .277/.393/.488 with nine homers and 35 RBI at Oklahoma City this season. The 25-year-old will be making his major league debut when he gets into a game.

The blast to right field in the second inning off Jerome Williams tied the game at 1-1, but Houston’s bats went quiet after that. Krauss doesn’t play enough to warrant fantasy attention outside of deeper AL-only formats. The 25-year-old had a nice season at Triple-A but is slashing only .200/.241/.362 with four homers and 13 RBI over 42 games in the majors.

Krauss appeared in 32 games with the Astros earlier this season. He slashed .169/.207/.325 before a demotion last month. He’ll function as a reserve outfielder.

The 26-year-old Krauss is 5-for-9 this spring as he competes for playing time at first base and in the outfield. He didn’t really impress in the majors last season, hitting .209/.267/.366 with 45 strikeouts in 134 at-bats, but the Astros seem to like him, and he might well be in the lineup somewhere on Opening Day.

Chris Carter is pegged for the DH spot, so the Astros will have a host of competitors vying for the first base gig. “Nobody’s clearly separating himself in my mind, so it’s going to be a good healthy competition,” Luhnow said. The GM listed Marc Krauss, Jesus Guzman, Japhet Amador, Jonathan Singleton and Brett Wallace as the competitors for the gig. Singleton certainly holds the most appeal from a fantasy perspective but is likely to begin the year in the minors.

Pujols was hit on the lower part of his left hand Wednesday by a Drew Hutchison pitch. X-rays showed no fractures, but he still has some soreness and bruising. Marc Krauss will start at first base and bat second Thursday in Toronto. Mike Trout will bat third.

First baseman Albert Pujols had to leave the game after he was hit on the wrist by a pitch, so Krauss replaced him at first base. He turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead when he hit a seventh-inning double to plate two runs off of Steve Delabar. Krauss had been 1-for-13 since his promotion on May 12.

Krauss was playing his first game with the Rays after being acquired from the Angels on Thursday. The 27-year-old should see part-time duty at first base until James Loney (finger) is ready to return from the disabled list. There’s some pop in his bat, but it’s hard to recommend him outside of deeper AL-only formats. He came into Friday’s action with a .194/.268/.335 batting line in the majors.

The 27-year-old slugger struggled in his brief time with the Angels, but was hitting .289/.415/.453 with four homers and 29 RBI in 47 games at Triple-A Salt Lake. He should handle first base regularly until James Loney (finger) returns, making him worth an add in AL-only formats.