HOUSTON -- The Astros on Wednesday set their 26-man Opening Day roster prior to Thursday’s opener against the Angels at Daikin Park, which includes All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña, who broke the tip of his right ring finger three weeks ago but has recovered in time for the season.
Brice Matthews -- the Astros’ No. 4-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- made his first Opening Day roster, along with another Houston-area native, right-handed reliever Christian Roa. A product of Memorial High School in Houston, Roa was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.
Here’s a look at Houston’s roster:
Catcher (2): Yainer Diaz, Christian Vázquez
César Salazar was in camp all spring with the Astros and is respected in the clubhouse, but the Astros chose Vázquez as the backup. He was to signed a Minor League deal near the end of camp and returns to Houston, where he helped win the 2022 World Series.
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. Altuve will be back at second base this season, though you can’t rule out a cameo in left.
Shortstop (1): Jeremy Peña
There were some questions whether Peña’s fractured right ring finger would be healed by Opening Day, but he put those questions to rest by hitting a homer in Tuesday’s exhibition game against Triple-A Sugar Land at Daikin Park.
Third baseman (1): Carlos Correa
Correa will make his first career Opening Day start at third base, a position he switched to last year when he was traded back to the Astros from the Twins in July. Correa started at shortstop on Opening Day for Houston in 2016-18, ‘20-21.
Outfielders (3): Jake Meyers, Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido
Meyers returns as the starting center fielder, with Loperfido the likely starter in left and Smith in right. Yordan Alvarez will play some left field, along with Matthews. Zach Cole was in the running for an outfield spot, but Matthews’ versatility and strong spring at the plate allowed him to make the roster.
DH (1): Yordan Alvarez
Limited to 48 games last year because of a pair of injuries, including a hand fracture that kept him out most of the season, Alvarez will get most of his at-bats at DH this year. He will still get occasional starts in left field, especially at home.
Bench/Utility (3): Nick Allen, Brice Matthews, Isaac Paredes
Allen, acquired in November from the Braves in exchange for Mauricio Dubón, is a strong defensive player who can play shortstop and second base. Matthews swung the bat well in the spring and can run, so he adds value off the bench. Paredes may not start on Opening Day, but he should get substantial playing time between third base, second base, first base and DH.
Starting Pitchers (5): Hunter Brown, Mike Burrows, Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Lance McCullers Jr.
The Astros will open the season with a five-man rotation, at least for a couple of weeks. Then they’re expected to go to a six-man rotation during a stretch of 13 consecutive games without a day off in mid-April. At that point, it’s expected that Spencer Arrighetti, who begins the year in Triple-A, will join the rotation.
Relief Pitchers (8): Bryan Abreu, AJ Blubaugh, Bryan King, Roddery Muñoz, Steven Okert, Christian Roa, Kai-Weng Teng, Ryan Weiss
The Astros have three relievers on the IL to start the season: closer Josh Hader (biceps), left-hander Bennett Sousa (oblique) and right-hander Enyel De Los Santos (knee). That opened the door for Muñoz, a Rule 5 Draft pick, and Roa, who was a non-roster invitee, to make the team. Teng, Weiss and Blubaugh give Houston three long relief options.