WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros trimmed their Spring Training roster on Saturday, sending two players to Minor League camp.
Outfielder Ramon Laureano and right-hander Francis Martes were reassigned, leaving the Astros with 47 players in camp, 35 on the 40-man roster along with 12 non-roster invitees.
Martes -- the Astros' No. 1 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com -- made four Grapefruit League appearances for the Astros, working a total of seven innings. He gave up three runs on five hits, struck out six and walked four. His best outing was his last, going three hitless innings on Friday in a split-squad game against Boston.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch remains optimistic about the future of Martes, 21.
"He showed [against Boston] exactly why we're excited about him," Hinch said. "He's got to be ready, his opportunity can come at any point. He's got some small things to cap off his development.
"He's raced through the Minors at a young age, he's handled every challenge. The upper levels will be yet another challenge for him. But high-end fastball, good breaking ball, good demeanor, loves to compete. There's nothing not to love about Francis Martes."
Laureano played in 15 Grapefruit League games and hit .214 in 14 plate appearances. In 36 games last season for Double-A Corpus Christi, Laureano hit .323 with five homers.