Melton has been limited in camp with a back issue. Joe Espada said he is close to getting into games and will likely be brought up to play in some Grapefruit League games later this week. https://t.co/egV0U0jRqp

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 3, 2025

Ben Gamel hasn't played since Thursday due to a sore back but is expected to return to games after the off-day tomorrow. Joe Espada said it is "nothing concerning."

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 3, 2025

Burn-It said:

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He's not a natural LF, he will either get hurt or embarrased out there. Quote me if I'm wrong & I'll eat crow.

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Was Carlos Lee a natural left fielder? Were Biggio and Berkman natural centerfielders? Sometimes guys play where they can be serviceable enough to make the routine plays.

Burn-It said:

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He's not a natural LF, he will either get hurt or embarrased out there. Quote me if I'm wrong & I'll eat crow.

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You don't know ball bro

"The arms that we have in this bullpen are going to play key roles like they did last year and put us in position to succeed."@astros reliever Josh Hader discusses entering his second season in Houston and his expectations for 2025.#MLBTonight | @RoFlo pic.twitter.com/AG5GPFZHha

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 2, 2025

Espada: "Right now the plan is for him to play the majority of his games in left field, and the days that he plays second base opens the door for Yordan maybe getting a start in left field, someone getting a DH day. So this move allows us to be creative and do stuff like that." https://t.co/wBuSZsO0Gy

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 3, 2025

Espada emphasized that plans with Altuve can still change: "It’s really early in the process and I don’t want to commit to any of this without getting Altuve’s feedback and see how this continues to develop."

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 3, 2025

Finally, Joe Espada said he still plans to give Jose Altuve game reps at second base this spring. The Astros are still not committing to anything but this I believe is the first time Espada has said publicly Altuve could play a “majority” of games in left field this season.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 3, 2025

I wonder how much Jose will DH this year with YED being the primary one. I recall Joe mentioning that being a priority or something similar.

iBrad said:

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Burn-It said:

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He's not a natural LF, he will either get hurt or embarrased out there. Quote me if I'm wrong & I'll eat crow.

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Was Carlos Lee a natural left fielder? Were Biggio and Berkman natural centerfielders? Sometimes guys play where they can be serviceable enough to make the routine plays.

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I wonder if Berkman and Lee ever played in the OF together? I know Berkman moved full-time to 1B when Bagwell left. That seems like a whole lot of triples if they did.

Montero's inning vs Cardinals today:
single, caught stealing, walk, error on 3B Whitcomb, DP 5-4-3 grounder. #CleanInning

— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) March 3, 2025

Marlins, not cardinals, but still interesting. Wonder if he's afflicted with Tony Sipp syndrome... Pitch like dog crap unless you're up for a new contract next year

That Cam Smith guy nearly hit a grand slam (per sometimes reliable spring training numbers - 105.5 mph, 412 ft to CF) - it's off the wall for a 3 RBI triple. #Astros hop in front, 4-3 in the top of the 7th. On @SportsTalk790 now - #TheATeam immediately follows the game.

— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) March 3, 2025

EastCoastAgNc said:

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That Cam Smith guy nearly hit a grand slam (per sometimes reliable spring training numbers - 105.5 mph, 412 ft to CF) - it's off the wall for a 3 RBI triple. #Astros hop in front, 4-3 in the top of the 7th. On @SportsTalk790 now - #TheATeam immediately follows the game.

— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) March 3, 2025

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Bring him up to the majors and be patient if he slumps early….

Can't be any worse than our other OF options

SP Luis Gil has a high-grade lat strain and won’t throw for at least six weeks, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

They’re still gathering more information before announcing an exact timeline.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) March 3, 2025

Astros related because that's who we wanted from them for Tucker

Why Houston Astros closer Josh Hader is changing things up with pitch arsenal this spring https://t.co/2gqIj1BLgW

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) March 3, 2025

AggiEE said:

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EastCoastAgNc said:

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That Cam Smith guy nearly hit a grand slam (per sometimes reliable spring training numbers - 105.5 mph, 412 ft to CF) - it's off the wall for a 3 RBI triple. #Astros hop in front, 4-3 in the top of the 7th. On @SportsTalk790 now - #TheATeam immediately follows the game.

— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) March 3, 2025

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Bring him up to the majors and be patient if he slumps early….

Can't be any worse than our other OF options

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Pretty hard to make a case against it when Meyers and Chas have OPS below .500 and Smith has an OPS 2 full points higher (2.4) against the same pitching. Sure it is spring training and it means nothing, but I am not seeing things to give me hope that Meyers and Chas are making big changes from how they hit last season.

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Why Houston Astros closer Josh Hader is changing things up with pitch arsenal this spring https://t.co/2gqIj1BLgW

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) March 3, 2025

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Nice picture of him throwing a change-up to go with that headline