HOUSTON -- A few things have changed since we took our first guess at what the Astros’ Opening Day roster would look like before the start of camp, with shortstop Jeremy Peña having fractured his right ring finger, closer Josh Hader headed to the injured list and outfielder Joey Loperfido back in a Houston uniform.
With about two weeks until Opening Day, here’s another look at the projected roster:
Catcher (2): Yainer Diaz, César Salazar
The Astros signed Christian Vázquez to a Minor League deal, and he’ll join the club after the World Baseball Classic. Even so, we’ll stick with Salazar as Diaz’s backup considering his work with the pitching staff all season and his left-handed bat.
First baseman (1): Christian Walker
The Astros perhaps would have traded Walker in the offseason, but the two years and $40 million remaining on his contract made it difficult. A subpar season at the plate still saw him leading the club in homers and RBIs after posting a .799 OPS in the second half.
Second baseman (1): Jose Altuve
The Astros shifted Altuve to left field to begin last season but the results weren’t great, and he wound up getting more starts at second base. He will be back at second base this season, though you can’t rule out a cameo in left.
Shortstop (1): Carlos Correa
Peña, coming off his best season, was slated to be the Opening day shortstop, but he fractured his right ring finger last week and will open the season on the IL. That means Correa will slide to shortstop, where he started on Opening Day for Houston in 2016-18 and ‘20-21.
Third baseman (1): Isaac Paredes
Paredes began last year as the Astros’ hot corner starter and socked a team-high 19 homers in 94 games before he suffering a hamstring strain on July 19 that cost him two months. That prompted the Astros to trade for Correa, who moved to third base. The Astros tried to deal Paredes -- and still could -- to clear up the infield logjam, but Peña’s injury clears that up for now.
Outfielders (4): Jake Meyers, Zach Cole, Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido
Meyers remains on the trade block, which is why Smith, Cole and Loperfido -- as well as No. 4 prospect Brice Matthews -- have all gotten time in center field this spring. We’ll keep Meyers as the starter in center for now, with Cole, Smith and Loperfido handling the corners. Don’t rule out Taylor Trammell, who’s not on the roster but has had a good spring.
DH (1): Yordan Alvarez
Alvarez was limited to 48 games last year because of a pair of injuries, including a hand fracture that kept him out most of the season, and the Astros will do everything in their power to keep him in the lineup. That includes getting most of his at-bats as a DH.
Bench/Utility (2): Nick Allen, Brice Matthews
Allen, acquired in November from the Braves in exchange for Mauricio Dubón, is a strong defensive player who can play shortstop and second base. Peña’s injury opens the door for Matthews to make his first Opening Day roster as a backup at center field and second base.
Starting Pitchers (5): Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, Mike Burrows, Lance McCullers Jr.
Even if the Astros open the season with a five-man rotation, they’ll spend much of the first month of the season with six starters. Spencer Arrighetti has yet to start a game in the spring and he could be the sixth starter, but Brown, Imai, Javier, Burrows and McCullers look like locks for a five-man configuration. A six-man rotation to start the year would mean one fewer reliever.
Relief Pitchers (8): Bryan Abreu, Bryan King, Steven Okert, Bennett Sousa, Kai-Weng Teng, Ryan Weiss, Enyel De Los Santos, Peter Lambert
Hader will start the season on the IL because he’s still working his way back from biceps tendinitis, which means Abreu will be the closer. Teng, Weiss and Lambert provide needed long relief options, and we have Lambert edging out fellow non-roster right-hander Christian Roa for the final spot. Rule 5 Draft pick Roddery Muñoz would have to stay on the big league club all season, so he remains an option to break camp in the bullpen.