WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A five-plus-hour flight from Florida to San Francisco, followed by a 12-plus-hour flight from there to Osaka, Japan, were what awaited Astros infielder Shay Whitcomb on Thursday morning. He’s the first of three Astros players who will head to the World Baseball Classic in the

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- With World Baseball Classic veterans Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve staying with the Astros throughout the spring, a pair of first-time WBC participants played their final Grapefruit League game on Saturday before heading off to their respective camps. All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña is headed to

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Jose Altuve made the familiar jog from the dugout to second base for his Grapefruit League debut in the Astros' 4-4 tie vs. the Nats on Friday night, a route he’s taken hundreds of times before. If there was an extra pep in his step

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The mound is 60 feet and six inches from home plate and the bases are 90 feet apart, but that doesn’t mean Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai isn’t having to make some adjustments on the field in his first year in the Majors. In addition to

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros have been working with hitters this spring to have a better approach at the plate, which means cutting down on strikeouts and taking more walks. The very early results in Grapefruit League action have been promising, with Houston drawing 29 walks through its

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Astros pitcher Colton Gordon needs your help, and he’s willing to make it worth your while. Gordon hopes to acquire his Topps Rookie Debut Patch Autograph baseball card for his own keeping, putting out a message on his Instagram account on Jan. 21 asking for

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ask Astros manager Joe Espada what he likes about pitcher Mike Burrows and he’ll mention his arsenal of pitches, his work ethic and the fact that he’s got five more years of team control. There’s another trait Espada enjoys in the right-hander as much as

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros’ single-season home run record of 47 was set by Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell 26 years ago -- the first year Houston moved into its downtown ballpark. Lance Berkman made a run at Bagwell’s record six years later, but he finished

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros open Grapefruit League play Saturday against the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, with lefty Colton Gordon taking the mound in front of a lineup that includes top prospect Brice Matthews (second base), rookie Zach Cole (center field), Joey Loperfido (left

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- All eyes were on Tatsuya Imai on Friday afternoon when he faced hitters for the first time since signing with the Astros in January. And it wasn’t just any hitters that the Japanese star would be staring down on Field 2 at CACTI Ballpark of

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- After the Astros suffered their third consecutive shutout loss while they were in Detroit last August, veteran Carlos Correa spoke in a team meeting and challenged his teammates to play better. That came only three weeks after Correa had been traded back to the Astros

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros set up a pair of large television monitors behind a screen near home plate on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Tuesday and Wednesday in what amounted to a crash course in learning the incoming Automated Ball-Strike (ABS)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Astros pitcher AJ Blubaugh was one of the first to greet new teammate Tatsuya Imai in the early days of camp last week. Imai, a star pitcher from Japan who signed a three-year deal in January, has been accompanied by an interpreter everywhere he goes,

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros have had only one father-son combination play for them in the Major Leagues. That came in 2008 when Jose Cruz Jr. -- son of Astros legend Jose Cruz -- ended his career with 38 at-bats in a Houston uniform.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A scrum of reporters huddled around Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.'s locker, eagerly waiting for the right-hander’s first interview of Spring Training. Stuff like this is old hat to McCullers, the son of a big leaguer, a former first-round Draft pick and a veteran who

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The fact that third baseman Isaac Paredes even reported to camp and put on an Astros uniform Sunday morning was a surprise to many. But not to him. Paredes has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason because he’s the most movable piece in

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Hope and love are in the air at Astros camp, where Jeremy Peña is looking to build on the best season of his career with a wedding on the horizon. Peña broke hearts all over Houston when he asked his girlfriend, professional soccer player Julia

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Joey Loperfido was in tears when he found out the Astros, who drafted him in the seventh round out of Duke University in 2021, were dealing him to the Blue Jays at the Trade Deadline in 2024. Loperfido and fellow prospects Jake Bloss and Will

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Just because Astros first baseman Christian Walker, an admitted homebody, stayed holed up in his South Carolina house this offseason with his wife and their baby, it didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of what was going on in the world of baseball. More specifically, Walker’s

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Upon his arrival to camp Monday afternoon, Astros pitcher Hunter Brown was told to put his suitcase down and meet with manager Joe Espada in his office before the pitcher played catch for the first time under the Florida sun. “I was in the building

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Astros closer Josh Hader, who missed the final two months of last season with a left shoulder capsule strain, said Wednesday he’s “a few weeks behind” schedule after being diagnosed with biceps tendinitis about 10 days ago.

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart's Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- Barring injuries or a trade, which remains a possibility, the Astros’ 13-man position-player group appears to be pretty set entering Spring Training next week. Most of the competition will be on the mound, with Houston focusing its efforts this winter on improving its pitching depth. Here’s our first

HOUSTON -- Coming off their first missed trip to the postseason since 2016, the hungry Astros will report to Spring Training next week after having spent much of the offseason adding depth to a starting rotation that was decimated by injuries last year. The Astros have a solid veteran position-player