HOUSTON – Miguel Ullola, a hard-throwing right-hander who’s ranked as the Astros’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was added to the 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to protect players from being selected in next month's Rule 5 Draft. Infielder Ramón Urías was designated for assignment. Ullola, 23, spent

Astros right-hander James Hicks brought the kitchen sink with him to throw at Arizona Fall League hitters, and, boy, did it work. The organization’s No. 26 prospect may not have any plus pitches, but he used all of them to earn Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year honors after

HOUSTON – If you’ve watched any of this year’s playoffs, you probably noticed the steady stream of relief pitchers coming out of the bullpen who are throwing gas. Relievers have been lighting up radar guns all October, which is something the Astros didn’t have a ton of this year beyond

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After the Scottsdale Scorpions tapped into a Fall League classic by donning Halloween costumes during batting practice, the pitching staff decided it needed to deliver a treat of its own. Astros prospects Anderson Brito (HOU No. 7) and James Hicks (HOU No. 26) teamed up to spin

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – James Hicks figured he was done with baseball. As a senior at Conway (Ark.) HS, he weighed about 150 pounds and his fastball sat around 82 mph. Colleges were understandably not knocking at his door, but he figured that if he didn’t give it a shot, he’d

The temperature isn't the only thing that's been heating up in the desert with Week 2 of the Arizona Fall League in the books. After a shortened opening week -- due to rain from Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond, which forced the cancellation of several games -- players appeared

MESA, Ariz. – While Shohei Ohtani was authoring the greatest single-game performance in MLB history a state away, Walker Janek turned in one of the best offensive outings the Arizona Fall League has seen in the past decade. Just over 24 hours after hammering a three-run homer, the Astros’ No.

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HOUSTON -- The Astros’ decision to summon outfield prospect Zach Cole to the Major Leagues in the final weeks of the regular season created a great opportunity for a 23-year-old outfielder who was finishing up his first full professional season. Joseph Sullivan, the Astros' seventh-round pick out of South Alabama

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Anderson Brito can stake a claim to being the Astros' best pitching prospect. It's a lot easier to make that case now that he's back on the mound. The Venezuelan right-hander hadn't pitched since June 21 after coming down with a stress reaction in his right shoulder,

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Walker Janek has spent just one full season in pro ball, and some scouts are already saying he might be the best defensive catcher in the Minors. The Astros' 2024 first-round pick out of Sam Houston, Janek won the Buster Posey Award that spring as college baseball's

HOUSTON -- Four games into his Major League career, Zach Cole has become a master of the pick-me-up.

ATLANTA -- Carlos Correa couldn’t help but pull rookie Zach Cole aside after he struck out in his final at-bat in the seventh inning Friday night and give him a reminder that the game isn’t always going to be as easy as he made it look in his first three

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.

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 -- Shortly after selecting LSU’s Ethan Frey in the third round of the 2025 MLB Draft, Astros scouting director Cam Pendino described the

Jordan Lawlar (D-backs) didn't look like he's missed many beats since returning from injury, capping his comeback with his first long ball since June 17. Top 100 prospects Bryce Eldridge (Giants), Jesús Made (Brewers) and Spencer Jones (Yankees) also went deep while a pair of 2025 Draft picks -- Ike

HOUSTON – Shortstop Xavier Neyens, taken by the Astros with the No. 21 overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, debuted as the Astros’ No. 3 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s midseason Top 30 Prospects re-rankings. He was behind second baseman Brice Matthews (No. 1) and outfielder Jacob Melton (No. 2),

Aug. 6 is National Root Beer Float Day. It’s also National Fresh Breath Day and National Wiggle Your Toes Day. Something sweet, something comforting and something … quirky. There was a fair share of each of these elements across the Minors as new faces continued to star in new places

PHOENIX -- Jose Altuve has seen many prospects come through Houston in his 15 seasons in the Major Leagues, including future stars in Carlos Correa, George Springer, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. Those players, and more, made their impact and left to play elsewhere, leaving Altuve with a front-row seat