3 things to watch as Spring Training games start for Astros
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
Imai wows at Astros camp: 'Never seen a pitch like that before in my life'
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
'He just has a presence to him:' Correa brings peace of mind to hopeful Astros
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
Astros test drive ABS system with strategic plan already in place
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)
MLB+ is the new hub for MLB Network and live game audio all season long
New for the 2026 season, At Bat and the MLB Network direct-to-consumer package has been rebranded to MLB+. Stream MLB Network 24/7 (U.S. only) for the entire calendar year, plus get select out-of-market games every week, live audio for all 30 teams (no blackouts), live MiLB games and MLB Big
Word of the Day helps bridge language gap on Astros' multinational roster
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,
Latest Astros injuries & transactions
This page will be updated throughout the offseason with all the latest Astros injury news and transactions.
Each team’s top projected player in ’26
Spring Training games are slated to start Friday, meaning MLB’s biggest stars will be back in action. But with so many great talents in the game today, who will be every team’s top player in 2026? To determine that, it’s time to examine the projections from FanGraphs Depth Charts (a
2 years ago, we predicted each team's top prospect for 2026. How did we do?
Back around this time two years ago, we made bold predictions about who would be the No. 1 prospect for each organization today. Now it’s time to review our prognosticating skills. A couple of disclaimers: A baker’s dozen of our current No. 1 prospects had yet to enter pro ball,
McCullers at peace entering final contract year with Astros
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
With trade rumors swirling, Paredes keeps focus on the field
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
Here's a fun fact for one Minor League team in every farm system
Farm systems are huge. In addition to Rookie-level leagues at complexes in the Dominican Republic and the grounds where big league Spring Training camps are held, there are four under-the-lights, ticket-selling affiliates for every single Major League Baseball organization, amounting to 120 Minor League Baseball teams. Many of these teams
Players with the most to prove for each team this spring
Full-squad workouts in Spring Training have begun, and there will be several players looking to prove themselves after injuries, underperformance or other factors put them in a more precarious position than they'd like to be entering the 2026 season.
Astros bring back a Biggio, sign Cavan to Minors deal
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.
Recently engaged Peña has big goals for 2026
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
Astros get former top prospect Loperfido back in trade with Toronto
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
'This is home': Walker tunes out rumors heading into Year 2 with Astros
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
Brown thinks he's in trouble, instead learns he's Astros' Opening Day starter
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
Hader's throwing 'a few weeks behind' after biceps tendinitis
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.
Here are 19 prospects who also starred on the basketball court
Crossing over from basketball to baseball can be quite difficult -- just look at Michael Jordan and his .556 OPS at Double-A. Over the years, 12 athletes have played in both Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, including four who did so in overlapping seasons. The most recent
Predicting each club's No. 1 prospect in 2028
The point of prospecting is to gaze into our collective crystal ball and predict who will be the best and most productive Major Leaguers years down the line. But every winter, we also take another tack: We gaze into that same crystal ball and predict who will be the best
Spring Training is here! 4 things to follow at Astros camp
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.
A complete guide to watching MLB.TV in 2026
With in-market, blackout-free streaming subscriptions available for 21 of MLB’s 30 clubs and with ESPN having acquired the rights to sell the popular MLB.TV streaming service, fans have more flexibility in how they consume baseball broadcasts. Watch select Spring Training games on MLB.TV all spring long. For a list of
