Astros hold annual in-season MLBPA meeting

CHICAGO -- Astros players held their annual in-season meeting with representatives from the Major League Baseball Players Association on Wednesday morning at the team hotel. Tony Clark, the MLBPA's deputy executive director, led the meeting.

All-Star catcher Jason Castro, who's the Astros' player representative to the union, said it was a "state-of-the-union" meeting and similar to the meeting the Astros have with the MLBPA during Spring Training each year.

"Just kind of got some of the newer guys a better idea of what it is they really do on a daily basis with some of the topics going on right now and where we're headed and some topics that could be coming up in the offseason and things like that," Castro said. "Just kind of an introduction of the staff to a lot of the guys who haven't had a chance to meet them yet."

The hot-button issues should be no surprise: The proposed expansion of instant replay and the fallout from the Biogenesis suspensions levied earlier this month.

"We wanted to make sure what we have ahead of us and trying to make sure everyone is on the same page and has the same information," Castro said. "That's really one thing we try to pride ourselves on is the union is only as strong as every member. We try to do everything we can to keep everyone informed and on the same page and pulling in the same direction."

Castro said he's in the process of trying to find a couple of players to fill the role of alternate reps to the union, but he said several players have expressed interest in stepping up. Those roles were filled by Justin Maxwell and Carlos Pena, both of whom are with the Royals.