DeFrancesco has bevy of position players

HOUSTON -- The additions of infielder Matt Downs and outfielder Jordan Schafer in a wave of September callups, and the acquisition of infielder Brandon Laird has given Astros interim manager Tony DeFrancesco 15 healthy position players.

"We're going to have a meeting today and talk about [how] there's only eight slots [in the lineup] these guys can go into," DeFrancesco said. "We have a lot of position players now and guys playing a lot of the same positions. There's going to be some guys getting primary at-bats, and we're going to see how it goes."

DeFrancesco said Downs could get some time at shortstop, and he even said he wouldn't be against putting Jose Altuve, an All-Star second baseman, at shortstop.

"Whoever's available at the time, that's how we're going to go," he said.

Infielder Marwin Gonzalez is out for a while with an ankle injury, but Laird, Downs and Scott Moore can play different spots on the infield. The team is carrying six outfielders with Jimmy Paredes, Fernando Martinez, Brian Bogusevic, Brandon Barnes, Justin Maxwell and Schafer.