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Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Friday that the team is weighing its options on whether Brown (shoulder) will need one more rehab assignment before being reinstated from the 60-day injured list, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Brown made his third rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Sugar Land, when he tossed 57 pitches (38 strikes) and allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out four across 4.1 innings. Espada relayed that he felt good about Brown's latest rehab outing, and a decision about whether the 27-year-old right-hander will make his next start in the majors should be made within the next couple of days. Brown is nearly fully recovered from a Grade 2 right shoulder strain that was severe enough for him to be placed on the IL in early April.
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Astros' Zach Dezenzo: Sent to Triple-A
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The Astros optioned Dezenzo to Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Houston needed the spot on the 26-man roster for Jose Altuve, who was activated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move. Dezenzo has slashed just .191/.255/.340 with one homer, two RBI, five runs scored and a 4:19 BB:K across 51 plate appearances with the Astros this season. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts after fanning 37.3 percent of the time.
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Astros' Jose Altuve: Activated from injured list Friday
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The Astros activated Altuve (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Altuve last played May 16 and didn't require a minor-league rehab assignment after suffering a Grade 2 left oblique strain last month. In 42 games this season, Altuve is slashing .245/.326/.380 with four home runs, 12 RBI, 27 runs scored, one stolen base and a 19:35 BB:K across 185 trips to the plate. His .706 OPS is the lowest it's been since the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Teng (3-4) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out one batter over five-plus innings.
Teng gave up a run on two hits in the first inning but faced the minimum over his subsequent three frames. The right-hander allowed two baserunners while getting through a scoreless fifth, but things fell apart for him in the sixth. In that inning, Teng allowed four straight hits -- including a two-run homer -- before he was pulled without having recorded an out. That was enough for Teng to end up with the loss in a game during which the Astros' offense managed just one run. Thursday marked the first time this season that Teng has surrendered more than three runs in an outing, and the lack of swing-and-miss stuff ended his three-game stretch of recording six-plus strikeouts. He still holds a strong 3.06 ERA along with a 1.17 WHIP and 44:21 K:BB over 47 innings spanning 19 appearances (six starts).
The Astros designated Thomas for assignment Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Thomas arrived in the Astros organization via waiver claim in May, but he never made an appearance with the big club and will now lose his place on the 40-man roster to make room for the newly signed LaMonte Wade. Thomas has slashed just .253/.304/.307 across 184 plate appearances at Triple-A this season despite benefiting from hitter-friendly environments in the Pacific Coast League.
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Astros' Cesar Salazar: DFA'd by Astros
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The Astros designated Salazar for assignment Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Salazar has gone just 1-for-18 in the majors while receiving limited opportunities, so the Astros will cast him off the roster and replace him with Collin Price, who was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. Salazar, 30, doesn't have minor-league options remaining and carries just a .512 OPS in his big-league career, making him likely to pass through waivers unclaimed.
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Astros' Zach Cole: Back in minors
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The Astros optioned Cole to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old outfielder will lose his place on the 26-man roster to make room for LaMonte Wade, who signed a major-league contract with Houston on Thursday. Cole has managed just one hit in 28 at-bats over his last 11 games with the Astros, so moving back to Triple-A could allow him to get back on track.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Activated, staying in minors
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The Astros reinstated Loperfido (quad/foot) from the injured list Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Loperfido has been on the IL since mid-April with a right quad strain, though he also suffered a foot injury while playing in a rehab game at Double-A Corpus Christi. Now fully recovered from both injuries, the Astros will keep the 27-year-old at Triple-A for now, giving him more time to ramp up before the team welcomes him back to the active roster. He's gone 7-for-23 (.304) with two RBI and two runs in six games since moving his rehab to Sugar Land.
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Astros' Collin Price: Selected from Sugar Land
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The Astros selected Price's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Price will receive his first promotion to the majors after slashing .235/.360/.476 with 10 homers, 26 RBI and 19 runs in 47 games at Sugar Land. Cesar Salazar was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, so the door is open for Price to work as Houston's backup catcher until Yainer Diaz (oblique) returns from the injured list.
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Astros' LaMonte Wade: Catches on with Astros
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The Astros signed Wade to a one-year contract Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Wade slashed .250/.420/.441 with seven home runs over 201 plate appearances at Triple-A Charlotte in the White Sox organization before exercising an opt-out clause in his minor-league deal. The 32-year-old's best path to at-bats in Houston is in left field, but he'll likely be primarily relegated to a reserve role.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Could start rehab assignment soon
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Diaz (oblique) has been hitting, throwing and catching bullpen sessions during workouts this week and is close to heading out on a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
The Astros haven't offered up an official timeline for Diaz's return from the left oblique strain that sent him to the injured list May 5, but if he's cleared to join a minor-league affiliate within the next few days, he could have a realistic shot at rejoining the big club by the middle of June. Since Diaz was deactivated, Christian Vazquez has taken over as the Astros' No. 1 catcher, with Cesar Salazar serving as Vazquez's backup.
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Astros' Brandon Walter: Throwing in Florida
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The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Walter is one of three Astros starters in Florida rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, though Hayden Wesneski (elbow) and Ronel Blanco (elbow) are further along in their programs after undergoing procedures in May and June of last year, respectively. Both Wesneski and Blanco will have chances at returning from the 60-day injured list late in the season, but since he had his surgery Sept. 23, 2025, Walter isn't a realistic candidate to pitch until 2027. Walter's main focus will be building up toward facing live hitters by the end of the season with the aim of entering spring training with few restrictions, if any.
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Astros' Bennett Sousa: Starts up throwing progression
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The Astros announced Friday that Sousa (elbow) has begun a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Sousa was placed on the 15-day injured list May 9 due to left elbow inflammation and was shut down from activity for nearly three weeks before receiving clearance to start playing catch. The left-handed reliever isn't expected to require a lengthy buildup period, but he'll presumably need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the IL.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Heating up during rehab
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Loperfido (quadriceps) has gone 7-for-23 (.304 average) with a double, a stolen base and a 4:7 BB:K in six games since moving his rehab assignment from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Sugar Land.
Loperfido made his first and only appearance for Corpus Christi on May 24, striking out in his first two at-bats before leaving the game when he was hit on the foot by a pitch during his final plate appearance. He was held out of action the next two days but was cleared to play upon reporting to Sugar Land, where he's continued to stockpile at-bats. He played full nine-inning games in the corner outfield Tuesday and Wednesday, so Loperfido could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list during the Astros' home series versus the Athletics this weekend.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Starts throwing again
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The Astros announced Friday that McCullers (shoulder) began a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
After landing on the injured list May 19 due to right shoulder inflammation, McCullers was shut down from activity for about a week and a half before being cleared to begin ramping up again. While McCullers doesn't necessarily appear to be headed for a long-term absence, the Astros could elect to have him build up slowly as a means of buying time to decide on what his role will look like moving forward. With Hunter Brown (shoulder) tracking toward a mid-June return from the IL and with Peter Lambert and Kai-Wei Teng emerging as viable back-end starting options, the Astros may not be willing to reopen a rotation spot for McCullers once he's ready for activation. McCullers struggled mightily over his eight starts prior to landing on the shelf, posting a 6.86 ERA and 1.53 WHIP across 39.1 innings.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Underwhelms in first rehab start
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Javier (shoulder) recorded two outs -- both via strikeout -- and was charged with two earned runs on two hits and two walks in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi.
Javier made his first appearance at any level in nearly two months, as he's been on the Astros' injured list since April 10 due to a Grade 2 right shoulder strain. Given the long layoff, some rust was to be expected from the right-hander during the rehab outing, but he still fell short of the Astros' goal of reaching at least two innings and 30-to-35 pitches, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Javier needed 28 pitches just to generate two outs, though on a positive note, his fastball velocity sat around his pre-injury levels at 92-to-93 mph during the outing, per Javier Gonzalez of PelotaCubanaUSA.com. The 29-year-old will probably require at least three more rehab starts to build up his pitch count and re-emerge as a viable option for the Houston rotation.
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